


Baby Brothers Do the Weirdest Things

by Iamacarrot



Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018)
Genre: Big Brothers, Humor, I bet conversations like this happen, Inspired by an old TV show, It's not hard to believe, Kids say the darndest things, Little Brothers, Mikey is the best baby brother I wish I had, Randomness, Silly comments, favorite brother
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2019-08-27 11:27:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 51
Words: 54,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16701658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iamacarrot/pseuds/Iamacarrot
Summary: Sometimes, Leo, Donnie, and Raph are unsure how they were blessed with such an innocent baby brother. Other times, they regret saying half the stuff they do and say around him.This isn't about either of those topics.This is about the weird crap Mikey says and does on a day to day basis.





	1. You're Kidding...

"Mikey, _WHY_ are you crying?!" Raph asked, trying to coax Mikey out from underneath the kitchen table.

Mikey didn't reply, his sobbing only increasing in sound and intensity every time he was asked why he was doing so.

"Mikey, _PLEASE_ tell me what's wrong! I can't help you if I don't know what I need to help!" Raph groaned.

Mikey wailed, rubbing his eyes and continuing to cry. This constant process had been going on for an  _hour,_ _now;_ and it was starting to make Raph a bit annoyed. Why wouldn't his baby brother just tell him what was wrong?! It's not that hard! Just open your mouth, state what was wrong, and get help! See?! Not very hard!

"Mikey! I'm starting to get a little upset with you!" Raph growled. Mikey whined in response, crying much more. Raph sneered, preparing to start chewing Mikey out, but stopping as Splinter walked in.

"Pops! You gotta help me! Mikey won't stop crying, and it's driving me INSANE!" Raph complained. Splinter hummed in response, stroking his beard and looking down at Mikey, whose crying had lessened just a bit so he could hear what was going on.

"Is Purple home?" Splinter asked, ears pointing forward as Mikey whimpered.

"What? Why would it matter if Donnie was here?" Raph asked.

"Orange has a tendency to play favorites. He likes to stick around Purple more than anyone else." Splinter explained. Raph scoffed, not believing that Mikey was capable of having that sort of mindset. It was MIKEY! How could the little Box Turtle even CONSIDER having a favorite? He couldn't! And that was a fact.

At that moment, Leo walked into the kitchen, pausing as he was called upon by Raph.

"What... did I do?" Leo asked.

"It doesn't matter! Answer me this! Does Mikey favor Donnie over everyone else?" Raph asked, crossing his arms smugly, as he was sure that the answer would be-

"Duh. I thought that was obvious. Donnie is rarely able to go ANYWHERE without Mikey trailing behind." Leo replied, opening the fridge and grabbing a milk carton with his name on it, opening it and chugging down half of the milk in one gulp. Raph's eyes widened, and he looked to Mikey, whom had stopped crying, and had started sucking his thumb.

"I don't believe this. Mikey... has a favorite brother?! That  _can't_ be true!" Raph laughed in shock.

"If you don't believe us, see for yourself." Leo hummed. Raph huffed, nodding with determination before preparing to yell Donnie's name.

"Hold on. Donnie went on some trip to the repo lot. He won't be back until early this morning." Leo explained.

"I thought you said that Mikey goes with Donnie everywhere." Raph huffed.

"Unless Donnie's mad at 'im. I forgot to mention that part." Leo hummed. Raph rolled his eyes, looking down to Mikey.

"Did you make Donnie mad? Is that why you're so upset?" Raph asked, sitting down, being joined by Leo after a few seconds. Mikey only began to cry once more, hugging himself and sniffling.

"I'm gonna take that as a yes. So, what did you do? It's kind of hard for Donnie to get mad at you nowadays." Leo asked, curious about the seemingly unlikely happenings.

"I... I didn't do _ANYTHING!"_ Mikey sobbed.

"Then why are you crying?" Leo asked.

"Because-"

"Hey guys! I'm home! I miscalculated the time I'd be back, which doesn't really surprise... me..." Donnie hummed, raising a brow as he noticed that everyone's focus was on him.

"What happened?" Donnie asked, looking to a teary eyed Mikey and sighing.

"Michael, I told you that it was okay for you to come with me. I rarely ever say no." Donnie commented, sitting in between Raph and Leo.

Mikey sniffled, wiping his eyes and debating whether or not he should greet Donnie. On one hand, Mikey REALLY missed his genius older brother, but on the other hand, the others would be confused and upset when they found out the source for his crying. So, while he weighed the possibilities, the others sat silently, sharing looks of confusion and frustration.

"Okay." Mikey sighed, crawling out from his space under the table and into Donnie's lap.

"Are you gonna tell us why you're sad?" Leo asked. Mikey nodded, leaning against Donnie's plastron and letting out a deep breath.

"Donnie mm last mmm." Mikey muttered. Raph put on a look of frustration.

"We can't understand you when you mutter." Leo sighed, taking another swig from his milk carton.

"Donnie mmm last cookie..." Mikey muttered louder, more of his sentence being legible. Well, they were getting somewhere, at least.

"He did _WHAT_ to a last cookie?" Leo asked.

"He ate my last cookie! And it was mean! There!" Mikey whined, slamming his face into the crook of Donnie's neck. Everyone went silent, no sound being made for two minutes before Leo and Donnie burst into laughter.

"You're upset because I ate the last cookie? It wasn't YOURS Mike. It belonged to anyone!" Donnie laughed, snickering when Mikey nipped at his neck.

"No it didn't! I made it! It was MINE! Just _MINE!"_ Mikey huffed, looking up at Donnie with an adorably angry pout. Donnie laughed louder, pulling Mikey closer and patting Mikey on the head.

"It's not funny! It was _MY COOKIE!_ Donnie took it and he didn't ask me first!" Mikey complained.

"Mikey, if Donnie asked, would you have let him eat it?" Leo asked. Mikey shook his head, frowning as Donnie pecked his cheek.

"Then he had a reason for eating the cookie. You were being selfish." Leo chuckled.

"NOOOO! I'm not selfish!" Mikey whined.

"Yes you are. You're selfish, and sassy." Leo replied.

"NO! Don't call me those! I'm not either of those things! They're so bad! I don't wanna be bad!" Mikey sobbed. Donnie's laughing then turned into chuckles as he rubbed Mikey's shell soothingly.

"Alright, cool it Leon. I'm starting to feel guilty." Donnie hummed. Leo rolled his eyes, finishing his milk and throwing the carton on the floor. Donnie frowned. Leo was NEVER going to learn about hygiene, was he?

"Look, if it makes you feel better, I apologize for eating the last cookie." Donnie chimed.

Mikey leant back a bit, sniffling as he looked Donnie in the eyes before leaning back against his elder brother.

"It's okay..." Mikey whimpered.

"You wanna make more cookies?" Donnie asked. Mikey shook his head. "You wanna stay on the floor with me?" Donnie asked. Mikey nodded.

"Okay. Nose bump." Donnie chuckled, smiling as Mikey pressed their noses together briefly. This was a sweet tradition that the two had started for no apparent reason. They rarely ever did it around the others unless the situation was unfortunate enough to call for it, and even then, they tried to refrain from doing so unless either of them was unable to calm down.

This situation didn't necessarily call for it, but Donnie knew it would help calm Mikey down anyways.

"So, hold on! Mikey was upset... because Donnie ate his cookie... and neither of you are upset about him wasting precious time?!" Raph asked.

"No. Not really."

"Nope."

Raph said nothing more, throwing his hands up in defeat and walking off to who knows where. Most likely to April's, but one could never be too sure.

Wherever he was going, Raph had left his younger brothers alone. Which wasn't the BEST idea, but he wasn't really thinking at the moment. Leo and Donnie looked to Mikey, who had returned to his happy self in less than a minute.

"Can I get up and work now?" Donnie asked.

"Nope!" Mikey giggled, playfully punching Donnie's arms and bumping their noses together once more.

"10 out of 10!"


	2. The King of Meats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was, indeed, their king. It was his calling to protect them, and it was his calling to rule them, with an iron, but caring fi-
> 
> "RAAAAPH! Stop eating my meat kingdom!"

Leo hummed as he made his way towards the living room, expecting to be able to make his way there without any surprises, and earning a surprise in response to his goal. Looking into the kitchen, Leo put on a confused look as he watched Mikey create statues of what looked like... meat people?

"What... are you doing?" Leo asked, making Mikey jump.

"Leo! You almost made me harm my meat maid! I was fixing her dress!" Mikey complained. Leo pursed his lips, taking in a full view of Mikey's... attire.

The youngest member of the family was draped in a cape that seemed to be made entirely out of strips of bacon, he had shoulder pads made out of canned hams, a scepter made of pig bone, and, to top it off, Mikey had a well put together crown of-

"Is that... cow fat?" Leo asked. Mikey nodded.

"I had to soak it in egg whites so that it would solidify." Mikey chimed. Leo gagged, looking away before sighing.

"And uh, why are you playing with meat?" Leo inquired.

"Because I'm the Meat King! I protect all of my meat subjects!" Mikey replied proudly. Leo let out a sound of distaste, looking around and tensing as he saw a whole pig.

"What is THAT?" Leo asked, pointing to the pig.

"Oh! That's Mr. Pork! He tried to overthrow my rule, so I had him knocked unconscious." Mikey explained.

"What, if I may ask, encouraged this?" Leo questioned.

"Well, I woke up, and I decided that I wanted to be the Meat King." Mikey responded.

"The Meat King. Who rules over raw meat." Leo stated. Mikey nodded.

"Which isn't cooked to any extent?" Leo asked. Mikey shook his head.

"Which means that it's filled to the brim with Salmonella." Leo finished.

"No! That only happens if you eat it!" Mikey giggled.

Leo chuckled nervously, stating that he'd be right back before rushing into Donnie's lab.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"The Meat King?" Donnie asked. Leo nodded.

"Who rules over raw meat?" Donnie added. Leo nodded.

"Which hasn't been cooked to any-"

"YES! YES! YES! I went through this with him, and I will NOT go through it again!" Leo shouted.

"Did he say why?" Donnie inquired.

"No. He just said that he woke up and wanted to be the Meat King for the day." Leo huffed, sitting down on a chair next to Donnie's.

"Peculiar behavior for Michael. I'll go talk to him." Donnie announced, standing from his place at his desk.

"Good luck! Mikey's choosing to be as vague as possible today!" Leo huffed.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh, hey Donnie! Wanna walk through my meat kingdom?" Mikey asked. Donnie shook his head politely, looking around the kitchen, then back to Mikey.

"I have to admit. This is pretty impressive." Donnie hummed.

"Why, thank you!" Mikey chimed.

"So... how has the day been for your kingdom?" Donnie asked, deciding to play Mikey's game for a while.

"It's been great! I've been getting so much love, and I got to give some knights some land!" Mikey replied.

"Nice. Do you think you're a good king?" Donnie inquired.

"Well, most of the time. Sometimes, I have to make really hard decisions, but I try my best to do what's good for my kingdom!" Mikey proudly shouted.

"That's exactly what a king would say. I'm sure you're having fun." Donnie chuckled.

"Oh, I am." Mikey giggled.

"Good. But..." Donnie started. Mikey pouted, knowing that Donnie was about to chide him.

"I just wanted to be a king for the day! I promise that I'll do something with the meat later!" Mikey whined defensively.

"Mike, I get that you want to play, I really do; but you have to remember, this is raw meat. You could get food poisoning." Donnie calmly replied.

"That's only if you eat it!" Mikey huffed, crossing his arms.

"Who told you that?" Donnie asked.

"No one. I just know." Mikey replied. Donnie sighed.

"Mikey, coming into contact with raw meat, or poultry, or fish, or eggs can make you sick, whether you eat it or not." Donnie explained.

"But, I'm just playing!" Mikey complained.

"And I respect that, most children your age aren't really into being so creative, but you gotta know when playing becomes dangerous. 'kay?" Donnie hummed. Mikey nodded.

"Good. Now, come on. Let's get you washed, and then find some way to safely get this meat out of here." Donnie instructed.

"Are we gonna bleach the lair?" Mikey asked excitedly.

"You need a nap." Donnie sighed.

"No I don't! Pirates don't nap!" Mikey retorted.

"Oh, so you're a pirate, now?" Donnie chuckled.

"Give me your doubloons!" Mikey ordered playfully.

"How I wish I had your imagination." Donnie muttered.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"So, you saw raw meat hanging everywhere, and your first thought was to eat all of it at once, without cooking any of it?" Leo asked. Raph groaned, gagging as more of the meat he'd consumed started to try and escape his body.

"This, is why we don't play with raw meat." Leo huffed.

"Okay!" Mikey chimed, running into the newly cleaned kitchen and then rushing past his brothers, giggling.

"Wait, what do you have in your hand?" Donnie asked.

"A knife!" Mikey replied.

"NO!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love referencing vines. :')


	3. Snazzy Night Jazz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We all know how appreciative Mikey is of art. His brothers do too. So, why not give in to his demands when he wants to check out a new, family-friendly nightclub?

"NO! You have to wear a _snazzy_ outfit! It has to be professional! You gotta look smooth!" Mikey groaned, pushing Leo out of the living room.

Leo rolled his eyes, but smiled. This was the fourth outfit that the Slider had tried on, and Mikey was  _still_ refusing to let Leo be in "attire such as that," if he remembered correctly. The reason for this being, was because Raph had overheard a few Yokai talking about a new "Family-Friendly" nightclub in the hidden city, that was based almost entirely around Mellow Jazz, and fine dining. When Raph announced this to the others, it was obvious to them that Mikey just  _had_ to go. So, everyone decided to humor him. Besides, things like this didn't happen often, and the family thought that it would be nice to go out and explore different dining cultures for once in a long time.

"Mikey, why can't you just let Leo wear what he has on? That's probably the "snazziest" thing I've ever seen him in, and I highly doubt that he's going to be able to pull off anything else." Raph asked.

"Hey!" Leo huffed, earning a "Just sayin'." from Raph, and a snicker from Donnie.

Mikey pouted, but decided that Raph had a point.

"Fine. You can wear that, but you all have to be on your best behavior! No fooling around!" Mikey huffed.

"Fool around?  _Us?_ It insults me that you would expect us to do so." Leo playfully complained.

Mikey sighed, leaning against Leo and smiling. At least his brothers were being nice enough to go with him. It wouldn't be the same if they'd refused to go. Jazz was a great music genre! And Mikey was more than excited to introduce his brothers to the beautiful insight of it.

"Quick question, on a serious note; isn't jazz the kind of music that's played in those weird Film Noir movies?" Leo inquired.

"Yeah, but that kind of jazz is called "Jazz Noir," appropriately, of course." Mikey replied.

Leo nodded, impressed by Mikey's musical knowledge. In all honesty, he really shouldn't have been. From the moment Mikey turned three, it was clear that he had all types of talents. At three, he was drawing surprisingly detailed pictures, with colors in the lines perfectly. At four, Mikey had taken an interest in the saxophone, and had begged Splinter to get him one, but it was to no avail. From ages five to eight, Mikey had been practicing in vocal art, and had started to become beautifully skilled, but he didn't think he was good enough to make it as a famous singer. From eight to twelve, Mikey became interested in film production, and loved when his brothers would help make home movies, or reenact plays.

In all secrecy, Donnie had become Mikey's favorite actor, due to the amount of passion and dedication Donnie always put into  _becoming_ the character, as if he were always the character to begin with.

"Well, since we have everything down pact, are we ready to go?" Donnie asked.

The others nodded, and moved to get into the Turtle Tank. Once everyone was settled- or, as settled as he  _could be_ , in Mikey's case -the brothers were on their way to the Run-Of-The-Mill pizza place, where there was a direct entrance to the Hidden City. They arrived in less than twenty minutes, and Mikey could barely contain himself, having to take deep breaths every two minutes to keep from jumping off of the walls.

"Are you boys on your way to The Jazz Joint?" a Yokai inquired.

"Why yes, we are! I've heard so many good things about this place! I can't  _wait_ to see how cultured it truly is!" Mikey replied.

The Yokai chuckled, amused by Mikey's spirit. There were very few creatures down in the Hidden City that had as much liveliness as Mikey did.

"I'm sure you'll love it. I've been there twice, and I was incredibly satisfied on both equations. The food is  _divine_ , and the music makes you want to melt in your seat." the Yokai hummed.

Mikey nearly died, starting an intense conversation with the Yokai. Donnie and Leo were on high alert as this Yokai walked with them, but they began to settle down once the Yokai began to explain a bit about his home life. Apparently, the Yokai had four older brothers and two younger brothers, and was incredibly used to the concept of protective brotherhood.

"Maybe you can sit with us! We could melt together!" Mikey gasped.

Everyone else laughed.

"It's up to your brothers. I wouldn't want to impose on your day." the Yokai politely chimed.

"You seem like a pretty nice gentleman. It would be a pleasure to have you sit with us." Donnie responded.

Mikey cheered, hugging Donnie and nuzzling against Donnie's neck. Leo hugged Donnie as well, making Donnie groan. It always annoyed him when Leo felt the need to join Mikey in hugging the genius.

"Alright boys, we're here. Calm down." Raph advised.

Donnie, Leo, and Mikey looked up, all gasping at the sight of the beautiful nightclub. Lights were strewn about the entrance, and the atmosphere was all around peaceful. The sound of jazz could be heard from outside, and light chatter could be heard as well. To put things simply, it was an extravagant experience, and the group hadn't even entered yet.

And then, at the worst moment possible, something hit Mikey's newfound friend right in the brain.

"Do you boys have any type of jobs? The food here is worth more than a regular salary could cover." the Yokai asked.

"Oh... uh... Raph? How much money do we have left over from the dance-off?" Donnie asked.

"Well... heh, you see, the thing about it is-"

"Raph."

"Eighty three dollars and twenty four cents." Raph murmured.

"What?! That's all?!" Donnie and Leo asked simultaneously.

Mikey's heart dropped. Was he not going to be able to have this bonding experience after all?

"Hey, Mikey, don't cry. We could always-"

"No, it's fine. It just, wasn't meant for us to be here. That's nothing new." Mikey sighed, rubbing his arm sheepishly.

"Mikey, don't be so sad. We'll come here some day. Donnie, Leo, and I can get jobs, and we'll have enough money in no time." Raph assured.

"Guys, don't worry about it. Let's just go home." Mikey replied softly, grabbing Donnie's hand and leading Donnie away.

With a sigh, Raph bid farewell to Mikey's new friend, walking off, with Leo in tow. It was always heartbreaking to see Mikey so upset. This was basically the saxophone incident all over again. It was gonna be near impossible to cheer Mikey up and help Mikey forget about this.

"Michael, you'll be fine. This place is probably too snobby for us anyways." Donnie assured.

"Yeah. Probably." Mikey replied emotionlessly.

Donnie inwardly cringed, pulling Mikey close and picking Mikey up, carrying Mikey the rest of the way to the Turtle Tank, and hissing at every Yokai/mutant who sent odd and/or dirty looks towards the two. Raph and Leo added to the defense, using their weapons to threaten those who found the brotherly gesture to be wrong.

"Wanna go home and play in the arcade?" Leo asked once the brothers made it into the tank.

"I just wanna go home and go to bed." Mikey replied.

Leo frowned, as did Raph and Donnie, but they said nothing more. What  _could_ they say? All they could do was try to think of a way to cheer Mikey up, and they had no idea how to do even  _that!_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Are you sure you're okay?" Raph asked for the sixth time that night.

"I'm fine, guys. I'm just sleepy." Mikey sighed.

"Maybe a movie could-"

"I don't wanna watch a movie!" Mikey shouted.

Leo and Raph flinched, while Donnie hummed in thought. Then, an idea came to mind.

"Why don't we  _make_ a movie, then? It's been so long since we've made a homemade film! We could do whatever we want! I can see it now! The kitchen could be the entrance to a fancy restaurant, and the protagonist could be looking for a mugger, who's dressed up as a salesman to hide!" Donnie suggested.

"No!" Mikey huffed.

Donnie silenced.

"It can't be a mugger! That'd be tacky! He should be looking for a sly vixen, who uses her wit to try and throw him off the trail of a dangerous snakebite ring!" Mikey gasped.

Leo looked at Donnie with an impressed smile. Donnie shrugged. It was his specialty to get Mikey into the filmmaking mood.

"Ooh! And the vixen could lure the protagonist into a night of passion! And then, when he's asleep, she grabs a nearby piece of glass, and-"

"Whoa! Calm down there, Jethro! Why don't we just keep this PG?" Donnie chuckled, knowing  _very well_ who Mikey wanted to be the "vixen," and there was  _no way_ that Donnie was going to kiss Leo. Not even on the  _cheek_.

Mikey shrugged, continuing to explain the plotline of the movie the brothers were going to make. In the end, Mikey ended up directing one of the most  _awkward_ Film Noirs the brothers had ever seen. Since there was no way that Mikey's older brothers would even  _try_ to find a poisonous snake to bite them, they had to substitute a beetle, which wasn't nearly as interesting.

Donnie was the lead actor- of course -and Leo was the vixen-  _double_ of course -leaving Raph to be the waiter/bartender/villain/beetle handler.

Yeah, it was pretty weird, but no one complained about it.

When they finished making the movie, and Donnie did all of the editing, the brothers sat down to watch their film, finding it to be quite enjoyable, despite how odd it felt to shoot the movie. Throughout the movie, Donnie would turn to see how well Mikey was faring, and was always met with a giggle, or a large smile. Which reassured Donnie.

Thankfully, the whole "not being able to go to a jazz club" didn't faze Mikey as much as the saxophone ordeal. That was good. It meant that Mikey wouldn't feel like complete dirt whenever he heard of the place. Then, with the thought of Mikey's sadness about his saxophone misfortune, Donnie decided to make a bold move.

"Hey, Michael?" Donnie started.

Mikey hummed in response, not looking away from the movie.

"Do you still want a saxophone?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Headcanon that Donnie would make the best actor in the world. B)
> 
> Also, I decided to leave things where they were, because I like letting my audience make up their own happy endings. :3


	4. Maybe Not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey isn't really getting better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight Angst, I guess? I know that wasn't a tag, but... I kinda had to.
> 
> This'll kinda be like my fic, "Awkward Questions; Tough Answers"

"We  _are_ brothers." Mikey commented suddenly, during movie night at April's one day.

"Yeah. We are." Leo replied nonchalantly.

Mikey smiled, shifting on the floor for a bit before frowning. Mikey fiddled with his hands, looking at each of his brothers intensely. Brothers. That's what they were. Even if they weren't technically  _related_ , they were raised as brothers, and that's what they called themselves. Sure, they fought, sure they annoyed each other, and sure, they hurt each other at times, but they still loved each other. Despite their differences.

Take Leo, for example. He was a Red-Eared Slider. He had red stripes along the sides of his face, and yellow stripes decorated his arms and legs. They radiated his vibrant, occasionally dominant nature perfectly. Then, there was Donnie. The Softshell. Donnie did his best to keep his species from getting in the way of his life. But Mikey knew that Donnie's biological "defects" disturbed the genius to his core. There was Raph. The Snapping Turtle. Whether he was an Alligator Snapper or not, Mikey didn't know, nor did he really care. Raph's size would help in battle, but his soft-hearted nature could always get the turtles in trouble. Finally, there was Mikey. The Box Turtle. He was the baby of the "family," and he was pretty sure that he was the only one who pondered this much on their true relations.

As well as the fact that they were raised by a literal  _rat_.

"Yo, Mike. You okay? You've been staring at us for like, three minutes now." Leo asked.

"Hmm? Oh! Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking." Mikey replied, his smile returning.

The others hummed, returning their attention to the Tv. Mikey's smile then faded once more. He hadn't realized that he'd been staring for so long, or that he'd been staring at all. That seemed to be a common theme. Mikey had began to start staring at his brothers intensely for large bouts of time for the past few days. Thankfully, his brothers were too much of  _idiots_ to realize that this was a theme in the first place. Rude, but true.

"Are you even watching the movie at this point?" April asked.

Mikey blushed, forcing out a giggle and looking to the side. This was awkward. He had chosen the worst time to let these thoughts take over his mind. Maybe he could fib his way out of this, like he had done so for the past few days. He just had to come up with a believable, calculated exc-

"Yeah, I think we should get him home." Raph muttered.

Damn it. Mikey had spaced out again.

"Guys, I'm  _fine_. I'm just thinking over a new project. I've been studying your figures for a while, so that I can get as on point as possible with it." Mikey chimed, lying right through his teeth.

_Like the little sneak you are._

"Oh. Okay then? But, still... are you watching the movie?" April asked.

"Yeah I am!" Mikey replied, eyes lighting up as he talked over what had happened throughout the movie.

Thankfully, Mikey had watched it before, so he knew almost every word and movement to a T.

_You're such a fibber._

April looked back to the screen, followed by Raph and Donnie. Leo, however, watched Mikey for a while before looking to the Tv. With a sigh, Mikey then excused himself to go get some air, announcing that he'd be back in no time at all.

Once he got outside, Mikey fell onto his knees. Maybe he should have made up a better lie. Leo sure was a quick one. In all honesty, Mikey expected Donnie to catch on before anyone else. Then again, Donnie wasn't really one to keep up with emotions. That talent respectfully went to Leo. So, things started to make sense to Mikey, even as Mikey started to move closer to the edge of the building, humming before shifting so that his legs hung over the side. An odd choice of words. Mikey had always found the idea of sitting on the edge of a building to be quite dangerous. One wrong move, and a person/mutant would be a scrambled egg on the concrete.

Which was honestly a funny thought.

_Maybe we should try to see how far you can get before you almost fall._

Mikey hummed. That did sound like a good time killer. Er, minus the whole  _killer_ aspect of it.

"I've seen parkour videos. They're pretty cool. Wouldn't you say, Leon?" Mikey hummed, not needing to look back to know that Leo was behind him.

"Yeah, as long as the ones doing it know what they're doing. The ones who do it know the risks." Leo replied calmly.

"I do, too. I'm a ninja." Mikey commented, not looking to Leo as he played on the edge of the building as if it was a balance beam.

"But you're not as well-trained as you could be." Leo reminded, walking closer to Mikey, who stumbled a bit.

This didn't scare Leo, however. He knew that Mikey could easily regain balance. He knew that Mikey could easily save himself if needed. He knew that Mikey would give a visible warning if he couldn't hold himself anymore. The two had fought with each other enough to know what the other could do. And Leo knew enough to tell that Mikey felt like backing down, or  _out_ in this case.

"You don't have to be so tense. Loosen your posture." Leo instructed.

Mikey followed the instruction, wobbling a bit, and regaining his composure, swinging one foot over the edge, and leaning to the side. Leo huffed, moving closer, and continuing to move until he was on the edge as well. Leo grasped Mikey's wrists, a serious look on both of their faces as they began to finally acknowledge how serious this situation was. Leo pulled Mikey back, spinning the younger around, and looking into Mikey's tired, slightly saddened eyes. Neither said anything, and Leo took a step forward. Mikey stepped back in response.

From there, the two initiated a simple, yet complicated dance. The close, intimate proximity of the two was enough to show them that they were finally becoming comfortable with being in each others' presence. They continued to stay silent, and they danced until Leo finally managed to coax Mikey off of the edge of the building, ending the strange, silent conversation.

Whether it had been noticeable to Mikey or not, he had given up what he was feeling to Leo throughout their dance. He had relieved himself of all of his stress. And had given Leo all the information needed to solve the ever present problems that Mikey was facing.

"You're really bad at keeping secrets." Leo chuckled.

Mikey chuckled back, taking a step back. It took a few seconds, but Leo caught on, following the new "conversation" that Mikey had started. This one was much more intense. It was made up of spins, dips, pulls, pushes, turns, rejections, and reluctant acceptances. It was nothing that made either of them uncomfortable. If anything, it drew them closer to one another. Both figuratively, and literally.

"When did you plan on telling us this?" Leo inquired while he and Mikey danced.

Mikey moved closer to Leo, leaning against Leo's plastron briefly, before pulling back.

"Well, that seems like it'd be too much torture for you." Leo hummed.

"I've been keeping it for this long." Mikey muttered.

"And look where it's gotten you." Leo sighed.

Mikey urged Leo back, pressing the older into as much of a dip as possible, pulling Leo back up and ending the dance there. Mikey didn't want to talk anymore. It was making him uncomfortable. And Mikey didn't like being uncomfortable.

"Do you want  _me_ to tell them?" Leo asked.

Mikey shook his head. Leo sighed, crossing his arms. Mikey was going to need to spill the beans eventually, whether he wanted to or not. Both of them knew it. And both of them knew that Mikey would never allow himself to be ready to do so.

"You're going to have to. One way or another." Leo reminded.

"I know. But, not now." Mikey replied, sitting down.

Leo then realized that the two had ended up back on the ledge. With a sigh, Leo sat next to Mikey. Maybe it would be best to sit and wait. So, Leo did. He waited for twelve minutes, and was about to get up and leave, when Mikey suddenly grabbed his wrist.

"Stay." was all that Mikey said.

Leo nodded, moving to sit back down. The pair sat back down, and stayed sat down until Raph, Donnie, and April walked out to join them.

"If the movie was that bad, you could have just said so." April joked.

"Eh. We didn't want to listen to your complaints about it." Leo replied.

"Whatever. We need to get home. Thanks for the movie night, April." Raph chimed.

"No problem. Get home safe!" April replied, watching as the brothers started to walk home.

When they were out of her hearing range, Raph and Donnie looked to Leo and Mikey, who had been unusually quiet throughout the walk.

"I have a feeling that you went outside for more than just to get away from the movie." Raph muttered.

"Well, your feeling is wrong. The movie was boring." Leo replied casually.

Mikey said nothing, but nodded in agreeance with Leo. The movie _was_ honestly a little boring, if Mikey had to admit it. Watching a movie that you've seen more than twice can get a little stale.

"Don't lie to us." Raph huffed.

"We aren't lying to you. We left because the movie was boring. End of story." Leo replied, starting to get annoyed.

Donnie rolled his eyes, signaling to Raph that they weren't going to be getting any honest answers soon. With a worried frown, Raph urged no more. This was more than just a lie, it seemed. It was a dangerous secret that was bound to cause some tension until it was revealed.

The boys made it home thirty minutes later, since they had been walking slower than usual, and still said nothing more, even as they all sat in the living room, glancing at one another every now and then.

"So. Will you tell us what's going on?" Raph asked.

"Nothing's going on." Leo replied, crossing his arms.

"Uh-huh, and I'm Bonnie, and he's Clyde." Donnie scoffed.

This time, Leo rolled his eyes. Mikey, meanwhile, was becoming more than stressed, and stood, sighing before walking away. Raph sighed heavily. This wasn't going very well.

"Nice going. You chased him off." Leo mock scoffed.

Raph opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off when Mikey returned, wrapped in a blanket, and free of his gear and bandana.

"You ready?" Leo asked.

Mikey nodded, sitting down and snuggling into his handmade "shell," sighing heavily.

"We're brothers." Mikey muttered.

"And?" Donnie asked.

"What does that have to do with this?" Raph inquired.

"I told you that they wouldn't get it." Mikey huffed, looking to Leo.

Leo nudged Mikey with his snout, encouraging Mikey to specify. Mikey sighed heavily, shifting once more.

"Guys, you don't get it. We  _are_ brothers." Mikey repeated.

Raph and Donnie shared equally confused looks, which led Leo to groan.

"Just because we're not biologically related, doesn't mean that we should treat each other like strangers!" Leo shouted.

"Yeah... what he said." Mikey confirmed.

It took a while, but the statement then registered in Raph and Donnie's minds. Mikey had noticed how far apart the quartet always was, and he was starting to fear that they didn't see each other as a family anymore. Mikey had started to see his brothers as nothing more than male turtles whom he shared a territory with. And this shook Mikey to his core. This was why Mikey was always stressing that he'd loved his brothers. This was why Mikey was always being so touchy with them.

Because he had to keep reminding himself that this was what they were.

A family.

A band of brothers.

Not just teenaged males who just so happened to all be turtles.

"See? This is why I didn't want to tell them." Mikey sighed.

"Calm down. They're processing it." Leo assured.

The two eldest brothers processed the information for at least thirty minutes, and Mikey had began to fall asleep, grunting as he felt himself be wrapped in a protective hug.

Multiple hugs, if he were to be corrected.

Mikey looked up, humming with no emotion as he realized that his brothers were the ones who had wrapped him in the hugs. Mikey sighed. Yes, this was nice, but he knew how this would go. The four would snuggle up for one night, and pretend nothing would happen for the rest of their lives, or until Leo noticed a shift in Mikey's behavior once more. Which was sad. It made Mikey sad. He wished that his brothers cared enough to manage Mikey in the way the Box Turtle he knew needed to be. At this point, Mikey was sure that his brothers were doing this, more to make themselves feel like less of jerks for a while...

"He's been like this for the past few months. We can't keep ignoring it." Mikey heard Leo whisper.

"How were Raph and I supposed to know that he was getting worse? You never update us on things like this." Donnie whisper scoffed.

"Boys,  _cut it_ , Mikey's goin' to sleep." Raph chided softly.

Hmm...

Nevermind.

Maybe they weren't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I make a story about Mikey's depression, or not?


	5. Depositing V-Card, Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a good thing that Mikey doesn't really know the true meaning of a V-card...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Or does he...?

"And this is the mutant pizza place!" Leo announced, throwing his hands out to emphasize his point.

"Whoa. This place is so diverse." April commented, following the brothers, who were leading her to a booth.

"You can order anything here. Pizza, wings, pizza, smoothies, pizza, pizza, did I mention pizza?" Leo chimed.

April chuckled, taking her turn to order her drink when the time came. The waitress smiled, taking everyone's order, and walking off. Mikey bounced excitedly, eyes sparkling in a way that they only did when he was about to do something that he'd considered extraordinary.

"Alright, Michael. What is it?" Donnie asked, smirking.

"I found out about this cool new way to pay for stuff! I read online, and it said that this way makes you turn into a real life grownup!" Mikey replied.

That earned a few coos of affection.

Before Mikey could explain, the food and drinks arrived. Mikey was instructed to eat at least three slices of his pizza before announcing his news. Otherwise, he'd never get anything eaten.

Mikey had done so in a hurry, giggling with glee after he announced that he was done.

"Alright. Go on." Raph chuckled.

"Okay, so, I read online that there's a new way of paying, and I can use it, because I think I have one!" Mikey announced. "It's called a V-Card!"

Everyone else either choked on their food, or took a spit-take in shock. When they had gotten over said shock as much as possible, the others looked to Mikey, who had backed against the seat in surprise.

"Uhh... should I take that as a sign to  _not_ pay with that?" Mikey asked.

"Michelangelo," Donnie started sternly, "you are to  ** _never_** say  ** _anything_** in accordance to that word again. Do you understand me?"

Mikey nodded furiously, breaking into a slight sweat. By the way Mikey's family had reacted, there was obviously something wrong with the V-Card thing, but the little turtle didn't know why.

"Why can't I pay with a Victory Card?" Mikey asked softly, poking at the rest of his pizza.

"Wait... what did you just call it?" April asked.

"A Victory Card. That's what it is, isn't it?" Mikey replied.

Leo snickered, and he looked away from Donnie, who was sending a venomous look. Right now, Leo was contemplating on whether or not he should actually tell Mikey the truth.

"Mike, where did you hear about this... "Victory Card," exactly?" April inquired.

"Well, I heard a character mention it in a Tv show I watch, and they were a hero, so I knew that it meant Victory Card! The hero had  _so many_ victories, and I'm sure he could pay for a million pizzas if he wanted to!" Mikey cheered.

"I'mma tell 'im." Leo suddenly chimed.

"Don't you dare!" April huffed.

"Tell me what?" Mikey asked innocently.

Donatello shook his head, making eye contact with Mikey and preparing to speak.

"Michael, remember when we had that talk, about natural instincts?" Donnie started. Mikey nodded.

"Well then, you should remember what I told you about the instinct to mate, am I correct?" Donnie continued. Mikey nodded once more.

"Alright. Since we're on the same mental page, I'm going to explain to you something that may seem... uncomfortable at first." Donnie stated.

"Okay...?" Mikey replied cautiously.

"So, a V-Card-"

"The V stands for Virginity, and when you pay with it, that means that you've snuffed with one or more people." Leo interrupted suddenly, laughing as he was hit on the shoulder by Donnie's staff. "He was gonna have to learn eventually!"

"You could have said it in a more mature manner, Leon!" Donnie huffed.

"Oh! So, a V-Card is when you hug a lot of people?" Mikey asked.

"What? No! It means- You know what? Sure. That's what it means, bud." Raph sighed.

"Ooooohhhh! Well then, I've made a lot of transactions with it lately, then." Mikey hummed.

"What do you mean?" April asked.

"Well, I've snuffed my brothers tons of times!" Mikey shouted, making his siblings turn as red as tomatoes. "You guys don't have to be embarrassed! There's no shame in it!"

"Miguel,  _PLEASE!_ I  _BEG OF YOU_ to stop talking!" Leo whined.

"Why?! Snuff is another word for hug, is it not?" Mikey huffed. Why were his brothers being so confusing today?!

"Bud, just stop talking. Please. It'll keep your brothers from exploding." April advised.

Michelangelo huffed, but nodded, watching as his brothers fanned at their faces. In all honesty, this innocent misunderstanding shouldn't have been as embarrassing as it was, but hearing this come out of  _Michelangelo_ , of all mutants, was more than enough to make his brothers near faint.

"I have  _never_ seen them get this flustered." April commented, looking to Mikey with a mischievous expression. "Well done."

"Thanks. It isn't every day I get to see them like this." Mikey replied, looking to his brothers. "Just so you guys know... I-knew-exactly-what-that-word-meant-and-I-was-just-trying-to-make-you-embarrased! Okay, love you guys! I'm off to the lair! See you there! COME ON APRIL, YOU'RE MY ONLY MEANS OF ESCAPE!"

_"MICHELANGELO!!!!!!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Snuff: To blow out a candle.
> 
> I'm pretty sure Leo didn't know what he was saying. He was just trying to sound smart and crude at the same time.
> 
> Admit it, though; when used in this context, it sounds kinda wrong. X3


	6. A Short Monogatari

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while since Splinter's heard any of his sons speak in their secondary tongue.

"Soto ni ikitai." Mikey huffed, suddenly, lying on his carapace in the middle of the living room, where the family had gathered.

Raph, Donnie, and Leo looked to Mikey in surprise. Very seldom did the family ever speak Japanese casually, and it was even rarer to hear Mikey speaking in Japanese  _at all_. It was weird, hearing the beautifully spoken words escape Michelangelo's mouth, but it was also very intriguing. For someone who rarely spoke their secondary tongue, Mikey seemed to have everything down pact. Accent, pronunciation, word stress, and fluidity.

"Īe. Taiyō wa mada dete imasu." Splinter replied, not at all fazed by his son's words.

"Shikashi, watashitachiha anzen ni narudeshou!" Mikey whined.

"Michael, don't argue. It's only 4:00 in the afternoon. We'll go later, when the sun goes down." Donnie chided.

"Taiyō wa ijiwaru." Mikey huffed, leaning against Donnie, who smiled fondly.

"It's all about patience, Michael. Here, would you like to listen to a few Monogatari while we wait?" Donnie asked.

"No! Monogatari are just silly fairytales!" Mikey huffed.

"Since when do you care about what is and isn't silly? You  _love_ creative things!" Leo chimed.

"Yeah, but most Monogatari are about the same things! Samurai, Maneki-neko, Shizen kara umareta kodomo-tachi, it gets boring!" Mikey retorted, crossing his arms.

"How about we create our own Monogatari, then?" Raph suggested.

This grabbed Mikey's attention. Raph chuckled, taking pride in his ability to "save the day" so to speak.

"Aren't Monogatari told by the ancients, though? Wouldn't we be dishonoring them by creating a tale?" Mikey inquired, hugging Donnie. "Monogatari are special, and they give morals and stuff. How can we make a story with a moral?"

"Not sure, but we can try." Raph replied.

"I have an idea," Donnie hummed, "how about a story called: Taiyō, Tsuki, Soshite Chīsana Kame?"

"That story sounds like a best seller!" Mikey gasped, tugging at Donnie's mask tails.

Raph, Donnie, Leo, and Splinter all chuckled. Mikey squealed happily, already making up a story of his own to present to his brothers. It would be the  _best_ Monogatari ever! It would have adventure, intrigue, danger, and-

"Michael, please stop eating my mask tails..." Donnie muttered.

Mikey blushed, smiling cheekily as he got a halfhearted glare. Donatello groaned, unable to stay mad at his baby brother. Which is probably something that would have to be added on to the story. Of course, Donatello was going to write the story down- with kanji, of course -and would do a bit of tampering here and there, just to keep the story true to Mikey's personality.

"It's like you have the mind of an Usagi, the personality of a Kitsune, and the heart of a Koinu." Donnie chimed.

"Oh how I wonder  _why_ his traits all pertain to canines." Splinter chuckled sarcastically.

Michelangelo giggled, nuzzling into Donnie's neck, before licking Donnie's cheek. Donatello groaned, but did nothing to stop his brother. Yes, the sudden behaviour was strange and childish, but, those two words described Mikey to a near T. Besides, it was somewhat cute to see Mikey acting like a little dog.

"Okay, enough with the mushy big brother stuff, let's make this Monogatari!" Leo shouted excitedly.

"Yeah!" Raph, Donnie, and Mikey shouted back.

Raph, Donnie, and Leo then looked to Mikey, who had been ready to tell his Monogatari since the mention of creating one had been announced.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Little Turtle looked to Sun with envy from afar. The large ball of light was making the day drag on for the longest of times, and Little Turtle was ready to go on a hunting voyage with his brothers.  _"Mr. Sun,_ _"_   Little Turtle announced finally,  _"why must you carry on the day for so long? I am ready to go hunting, and the only way I can do that, is when the animals are asleep!"_   Little Turtle complained. Sun looked down to Little Turtle, and hummed.  _"Why are you so upset with me, then?"_   Sun asked.  _"Because!"_   Little turtle exclaimed,  _"The animals will not sleep, until you go down, and allow Moon to appear! It is Moon's job to put the animals in their slumber, and she cannot appear, unless you leave!"_

"Sun said nothing, thinking before chuckling.  _"You know just as well as all living creatures, that I can stay for as long as I want. If you cannot be patient enough to let me wait, then I will never let Moon arrive!"_   Sun threatened. Little Turtle frowned, crossing his arms.  _"That is impossible! If Moon does not arrive, then my entire village will not be able to sleep! We will be burned to death!"_   Little Turtle exclaimed.  _"Then I suggest you be patient! I am not afraid to risk the lives of others, because of your selfish behaviours!"_   Sun shouted.

"Little Turtle sighed, retreating to his room, and lying down. Days had been very hard, for Little Turtle. His family was going through a food shortage, and food was scarce. It was a rare occurrence for Little Turtle to catch enough food to feed himself, his father, and his siblings. Little Turtle had been convinced that his ancestors were upset with him and his family, because they did not have a woman in the home. There were no negative remarks from the village about the situation, so Little Turtle was confused. He was raised to honor his ancestors, but was unsure of how to do so, when it seemed like every little thing made them upset.

"While he thought, Little Turtle had not noticed that Sun had heard his thoughts, and had decided to fall, bringing Moon on an early occasion.  _"Little Turtle,"_   Moon whispered softly.  _"Why must you get so upset with Sun? He is not the reason for your misfortune."_   Moon inquired. Little Turtle huffed, sitting up on his hammock, and looking to Moon sadly.  _"I am not upset with Sun. I am just afraid that I will not have enough to keep my family from going hungry, this winter. It will be harsh. I know, as our ancestors have told us."_   Little Turtle replied.

"Moon smiled.  _"Well, I am glad that you are trying to keep your family on their feet, but it is not your place to tell the Wisdoms what they should do, and when they should do it. I honestly would have expected your brother, Kagaku No Ko, to have taught you that by now..."_   Moon muttered, looking behind Little Turtle, who turned to see his brother trying to sneak out of view.

"Kagaku No Ko laughed nervously, bowing and announcing his respects to Moon, before standing straight. Moon gave an unimpressed look, watching as Kagaku No Ko walked up to Little Turtle, hugging his brother close.  _"Moon, such a sweet thing of you, to talk to our baby brother! I can assure you that we have, indeed, taught him about respecting the Wisdoms! He must have simply forgotten!"_   Kagaku No Ko fibbed.

"Little Turtle frowned. He felt great guilt when he unintentionally forced his brothers to lie to the wisdoms.  _"Please, do not lie for my sake. I should have respected Sun, and I blamed him for the downfall of our family. It would not surprise me to find out that the ancestors are upset with us because of me."_   Little Turtle whispered.  _"Little Turtle, do not speak of yourself that way!"_   Kagaku No Ko chided.  _"Why should I not?! You heard the Soothsayer! She called me Aku No Ko! I have brought dishonor to our family, without even trying!"_   Little Turtle cried.

"Kagaku No Ko said nothing, hugging his brother close.  _"Do not pay attention to the title given to you by the Soothsayer. It is only her job to announce where we have come from. Just because you are from the Evils, does not mean that you must be like them."_   Kagaku No Ko assured.  _"But, what if it is in my blood? What if I become an Evil, without wanting to?"_   Little Turtle asked.  _"We will never let that happen to you, Little Turtle. We love you too much."_   Kagaku No Ko whispered.

"Moon raised a brow, realizing something.  _"Where is everyone else? Where are Sōdochairudo, Tsuyo-Sa No Shōnen, and Passhibufāzā?"_   Moon asked. _"They have followed Hiretsuna Kaze into the best hunting grounds. They heard you talking to Little Turtle, and left me to distract you."_   Kagaku No Ko replied. Moon frowned. Those three mischief makers were always doing something like that.

"With a chuckle, Moon sent a gentle kiss to the two brothers, and her voice faded. Her soul could be sensed, but the brothers knew that most of her had went to find and punish the rest of their family.  _"You are not the one who has displeased the ancestors. You know that the ancestors have no say in our honor to the family, until we are men."_   Kagaku No Ko assured.  _"So, I still have a chance to appease them?"_   Little Turtle asked.  _"Sure, Otōto, sure."_   Kagaku No Ko sighed."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everyone looked to Michelangelo with shock. Sure, they expected a great story, but never could they have guessed that such a beautiful tale would have come from the small turtle.

"Michael... that was-"

"AWESOME! You just made the best Monogatari ever!" Leo shouted, hugging Mikey tightly.

"LEO! Let me go! Lemme GO!" Mikey laughed, pushing Leo away, and ending up in Donnie's lap. "Did you like the story?"

"I-"

"Yeah I did! Pop did too! Look! He's in shock!" Raph replied, pointing to Splinter, who was indeed, in shock.

"Well, I'm glad you two liked it, but, I really gotta know, Donnie, did you-"

Mikey was cut off by the hug that he was pulled into. Looking up at Donnie, Michelangelo smiled, sighing happily. There was no doubt that this was a yes.

"I loved it." Donatello whispered.

"That means everything." Mikey whispered back.

"Hey! Stop whispering stuff! Give us another Monogatari!" Leo ordered.

"What a way to ask for a story. Should I send Moon to get you?" Mikey teased.

"You won't." Leo challenged.

"Don't doubt me! I have a connection with every Wisdom! I call for the Maneki-Neko!" Mikey shouted, screaming as he heard a loud meow.

"Alright, boys, let's calm down." Donnie muttered, petting Mikey's shell. "It looks like some time passed. It's 6:30. Wanna go outside?"

"No! There's one more thing I have to do before we go!" Mikey replied, hopping up and rushing into the kitchen.

The others looked amongst themselves, shrugging.

"Who wants Dango?" Mikey shouted.

"DANGO!" Raph, Donnie, and Leo screamed, pushing each other down to try and get into the kitchen first.

While his oldest sons fought over who should get the first Dango stick, Splinter stroked his beard, sitting silently. Michelangelo was growing fast, no doubt, and this concerned Splinter. Michelangelo was one to be easily influenced, and his Monogatari proved that.

For the young turtle to mention the Aku No Ko, and to represent said child as himself, made Splinter fear that there was something going through Michelangelo's mind. Something that he was not telling his family. Splinter had never told his sons about the Aku No Ko, and had never taken his sons to a Soothsayer to have them announced, either. When he had Donatello do a monthly check of search history- present and deleted -the Softshell never found anything in accordance to Japanese culture.

This was strange, indeed. There was the possibility that Michelangelo had gotten this idea from his Mind's Eye, but that would still not explain why he had chosen to use the information in something as intimate as a Monogatari. The elusive Aku No Ko were rarely ever mentioned in any of the Monogatari Splinter had ever been told, so that ruled that theory out of the window as well.

"Pops! You better get in here before these monsters eat all of the Dango!" Mikey shouted. "What the?! Leo! Stop trying to eat Donnie's hand!"

Splinter sighed, smiling at the imagery of Leonardo trying to eat Donatello's hand. And Donatello's  _good hand_ at that!

With a smirk, Splinter hopped off of his chair, deciding to leave his suspicions at Bō Staff's length.

Besides, even if Michelangelo  _was_ aware of the existence of Aku No Ko, at least he was smart enough to talk to the Moon when he was being troubled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> Soto ni ikitai.: I want to go out.
> 
> Īe. Taiyō wa mada dete imasu.: No. The sun is still out.
> 
> Shikashi, watashitachiha anzen ni narudeshou!: But, we can take care of ourselves!
> 
> Taiyō wa ijiwaru.: The sun is mean.
> 
> Monogatari- A Japanese folktale, legend, or story
> 
> Shizen kara umareta kodomo-tachi: Children born from nature
> 
> Taiyō, Tsuki, Soshite Chīsana Kame: The Sun, The Moon, and a Small Turtle
> 
> Usagi: Rabbit
> 
> Kitsune: Fox
> 
> Koinu: Puppy
> 
> Kagaku No Ko: Child of Science
> 
> Aku No Ko: Child of Evil
> 
> Sōdochairudo: Sword Child
> 
> Tsuyo-Sa No Shōnen: Boy of Strength
> 
> Passhibufāzā: Passive Father
> 
> Hiretsuna Kaze: Mischievous Wind
> 
> Otōto: Younger Brother
> 
> Dango- A h*ccin good Japanese dessert. It's literally a freakin' sweet dumpling on a stick! >:V


	7. I'M the Adorable One!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How come the others were paying more attention to a baby doll?! The doll isn't even sentient! What could be so great about it?!

"Isn't it cute?"

"Yeah it is!"

"I have to admit, it is."

"Where'd you even get it?"

Mikey huffed, covering his head with his pillow as he tried to block out the loud noises of his family. April had currently bought some stupid baby doll, and had introduced it to the brothers. Mikey found it to be somewhat boring, but his brothers? They immediately became enamored with the thing. Now, Mikey had no idea why, and, frankly, he didn't really care. All Mikey wanted was for that doll to get out of the lair. It was so  _creepy,_ anyways! And that was saying something! Considering how Mikey had fared  _perfectly fine_ with Plusho!

"Ugh... for once, I am  _so ready_ for April to go home..." Mikey muttered, shifting anxiously.

This wasn't right! Mikey was supposed to be the cutest thing in the world! That was his role! If Mikey wasn't the cute one anymore, what was he supposed to be?! This baby doll wasn't even  _close_ to the Mikey adorable scale! There was a specific system of being adorable, and Mikey was always at the top! At the very bottom, was big cheeked fish, then there was sneezing dogs, then chatty birds, then babies, then kittens, then puppies, then pigs and horses rolling in the mud, then hamsters being dum-dums, and finally, there was Mikey! Nothing and  _no one_ could beat Mikey on the adorable scale! It was  _impossible!_ And for his brothers to say that some doll was cuter than Mikey?! That was simply betrayal!

"What do they even find  _adorable_ about that thing? It's not even  _close_ to being a baby!" Mikey huffed, sliding onto the floor and pouting. "I'm supposed to be the adorable one..."

"Alright, boys. I'm gone!" April announced.

"Bye April!" Raph, Donnie, and Leo chimed.

"Hey, where did Mikey go?" Leo then asked.

Sure.  _Now_ they notice that Mikey had been missing. What a brotherly thing to do.

"Mikey? Are you hiding in your room again?" Leo shouted.

"No! And you shouldn't come in my room and look for me, either!" Mikey replied, groaning as his brothers did just that. "I don't wanna talk to you three right now."

"Why not?" Raph inquired.

"I just don't." Mikey replied staying in his position, which looked slightly uncomfortable.

Leo rolled his eyes, poking Mikey's cheek. The younger whined, pushing Leo's hand away. Mikey meant what he'd said! He didn't want to talk to his brothers, and he wasn't going to!

"Michael, just tell us why you're acting like such a hatchling." Donnie sighed, arms crossed, an unimpressed look on his face.

Mikey said nothing, he only looked to the side, trying to think of a way to get out of his position. His brothers had the only exit blocked off, so that wouldn't work. The "invisible" hatch under Mikey's bed only led to a most undesirable location, and trying to push his brothers away, would be a losing battle.

"Mikey?" Raph asked.

Mikey only huffed, glaring at a nearby wall. Donnie rolled his eyes, leaning down, and picking Mikey up, smirking at the annoyed whines he'd received.

"NOOOO! I'm mad at you! Put me down!" Mikey shouted, trying to push away from his genius brother.

Donnie smirked, letting Mikey down. Mikey never was one to stay silent when being picked up.

"Why do you guys want me to talk to you all of a sudden? You didn't wanna talk to me after I left about thirty minutes ago!" Mikey huffed, turning his carapace to his brothers.

"Why would we? We were talking to April!" Leo replied.

"No, you were admiring that stupid doll! I said that I didn't like it, but you just kept talking about it like it was some kind of god!" Mikey complained.

"Wait. You're upset because you thought we were talking about the doll?" Raph muttered.

"What else could you be talking about?!" Mikey shouted back.

"Michael, we were talking about the new kitten that April got as a playmate for Mayhem." Donnie snickered.

"...New... kitten...?" Mikey repeated silently.

"Uhh, yeah. That doll was  _super creepy_." Raph confirmed, shuddering.

Mikey stood, contemplating for a while. Raph and Leo looked to each other, confused looks on their faces. Donnie, however, was trying to hold in a loud laugh. When the others noticed this, they all reacted differently. Leo was watching with an amused smile, not used to seeing Donnie so giddy. Raph watched with a somewhat worried expression, also not used to this type of behaviour from the normally emotionless Softshell. Mikey, lo and behold, watched with a pout, arms crossed.

"Don't you dare laugh at me! You're nothing more than big meanies! All of you!" Mikey shouted.

That did it.

"BAHAHAHAHAH! OH  _GOD!_ THIS IS **_PRICELESS_ _!_** _"_ Donnie cackled, holding onto his stomach as he fell to the floor.

Leo began to laugh as well, more amused by Donnie's behaviour, than the actual cause of said behaviour. Raph felt a smirk coming on, and he placed a hand over his mouth to keep from embarrassing Mikey even more.

"Why- Oh, jeez! Why are you laughing so hard?!" Leo asked, still laughing.

Donnie laughed even louder, gasping and panting as he calmed himself down, still managing to let out a few giggles, despite his attempt to seem mature.

"I, Leon, am laughing, because our baby brother, is jealous of a doll." Donnie replied.

The room silenced, and Mikey started to believe that his brothers were going to apologize. But, of course, that wasn't the case. They only started to laugh much more.

"GOSH DARN IT!" Mikey screamed, grabbing his pillow and whacking it against Raph's plastron, blushing as much as possible. "You guys are being such  _JERKS_ right now!"

"Aww, is our baby brother getting mad at us?" Leo teased, pulling Mikey into a hug.

Mikey whined, pushing Leo away, and groaning as he was picked up by Donnie. With a huff, Mikey glared at Donnie, who was pretty much  _crying_ out of laughter. Mikey hissed, pouting as he got a gentle nuzzle in response. At that gesture, Mikey put a hand on Donnie's snout.

"Don't nuzzle me unless you mean it! I don't want anything from any of you!" Mikey remarked.

His brothers only smiled, all packing close and trilling. Mikey's eyes widened, and he tried to hold back his own affectionate sound, but ended up losing to his instincts.

"Just so you know, I may be responding, but I am  _not_ happy!" Mikey shouted.

"Mm-hm. Sure. Our baby brother isn't happy, because he's so jealous of a harmless little doll." Leo chuckled.

"SHUT UP!" Mikey roared.

"Oh, don't be so mad. No matter what, you'll always be our most adorable little artist." Raph assured.

Mikey paused, all anger fading at those words. So, the others were finally recognizing Mikey's adorableness once more! This most certainly made up for everything!

"Okay, fine. I forgive you." Mikey muttered.

"Forgive us? For  _what?"_   Leo asked.

"Why, for making him feel so upset, of course! The little bean could  _never_ go on without being the most adorable baby in the world!" Donnie replied, shaking Mikey around like a ragdoll.

"You're saying that ironically, aren't you?" Raph chimed.

"Eh, it's half and half. More towards me being "affectionate" for once. My little baby can't  _stand_ to be second best. Can you?" Donnie replied, holding Mikey closer.

"Hurf." Mikey replied.

"Uhh... okay?" Leo chuckled.

"Just shut up and keep admiring me." Mikey ordered, smiling as his cheeks were squished. "Yep. Just bend to my will."

"You're lucky that you're adorable. Otherwise, we'd be questioning some of the stuff you say to us." Leo hummed.

"Mmhm. Less talky, more cuddly." Mikey replied, booping Leo's snout.

The others rolled their eyes, but hugged closer to Mikey nonetheless. Mikey giggled happily.

It was nice to be the adorable one again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No one will be seated during the "Mikey being two-faced" portion of the fic. X3


	8. Hot Ovens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> January is the worst month for a reptile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have some Mikey being a true reptile.

"Ugh..."

Donatello looked to his baby brother with sympathy, watching as the younger shivered, despite being covered in two layers of thick covers. This winter had seemed to be one of the worst ones yet. Because of this, the brothers were led to find their own ways to warm up. Leo, of course, had been prepared, and was currently watching Tv in the living room. Raph had recently requested to borrow April's heat blankets, and was also enjoying Tv. Donnie had installed a natural heat aura in his lab, and had been cooped up in the lab all day. Which left only one brother, who wasn't old enough, nor experienced enough to find out what worked best for him. Mikey had tried to find heat by pulling into his shell, but that only worked for around thirty minutes, before he started to shiver once more.

The others had tried at least six methods by now, and none of them lasted any longer than fifteen to twenty minutes each.

"Michael, I don't know what else to do. I know that you're cold, but I can only do so much." Donnie sighed, walking up to Mikey, who was lying on a cot. "What else do you think could work?"

"I d-d-d-dunno... I j-j-j-just w-wanna get w-w-w-warm..." Mikey replied softly, sniffling and whimpering.

"I understand, Michael. But how am I supposed to help?" Donnie asked.

Mikey groaned, trying to move in order to create body heat. Donnie then placed a hand on Mikey's cheek, nearly wincing at how cold the Box Turtle's skin was. This wasn't good. If Mikey couldn't find a way to heat up, and  _fast_ , then he was most likely not going to be able to recover from the winter as well as his brothers.

"Have you thought of brumation?" Donnie inquired.

"I d-d-don't wanna go t-t-t-to sleep for s-s-so long..." Mikey replied, reaching his arms out to hug his brother.

"I know. But you're going to have consider it, if you want to stay warm." Donnie chimed.

A whimper escaped from Mikey, and he leaned closer to Donnie, as the two pulled each other into a hug. At the feel of Donnie's warm scales, Mikey sighed, smiling lightly as he was picked up. Donnie smiled, trying to keep back his want to scream out of surprise due to the sudden feel of ice cold scales against his.

"Can we cuddle?" Mikey asked softly.

"Sure." Donnie chuckled, carrying Mikey forwards.

Donnie then sat down in a swivel chair, waiting for Mikey to get comfortable, before moving to work on some blueprints. Mikey yawned, tracing the scutes on Donnie's plastron, and slowly closing his eyes. Everything was perfect for the next ten minutes or so, before Leo sauntered in, smiling as he saw his brothers cuddling.

"Aww, look at the two cuddle buddies~" Leo chuckled, leaning over Donnie's counter.

"Hush." Donnie whispered sharply.

Leon put his hands up, his heavy coat shifting a bit. Mikey giggled in response, shuddering and holding on tighter to Donnie.

"Oh no. No, Mikey, please don't!" Donnie shouted, trying to hold Mikey closer.

But it was to no avail. Mikey had started to lose color, and was slowly going back into his ice cold state. Leo gasped, pulling Mikey away from Donnie, and holding Mikey close.

"Come on, bud. Don't shiver,  _please_ don't shiver." Leo whispered.

Mikey began to cry, the action only making him shiver more. In all honesty, it hurt to cry. The feelings of a violent gust of cold air made Mikey's salty tears feel as if they were made to be burning. Which only made Mikey cry more.

"Mikey,  _please_ , try and think warm thoughts. Remember? Hot coals, pizza ovens!" Leo encouraged.

No response came from the younger. He only coughed and sniffled, his body temperature threatening to force him into brumation without his consent. Now, that wouldn't be too bad of a thing, if Mikey had managed to find a comfy enough place to brumate in the first place.

"I'm s-s-s-so c-c-c-cold!" Mikey cried, holding closer to Leo.

"What are we supposed to do?!" Leo asked, looking to Donnie.

"I don't know!" Donnie replied, starting to shake.

Mikey then started to go limp, causing his brothers to nearly faint.

"OH MI GOSH! WHATAREWESUPPOSEDTODO?!" Leo wailed.

"HOWAMISUPPOSEDTOKNOW?!" Donnie screamed back.

The two were then left to scream out horrified babbles, which led to Raph and Splinter walking into the lab. When the two saw Mikey, they both sighed.

"I will take care of Orange." Splinter announced, not surprised when his healthy sons hesitated to hand Mikey over. "He will be fine."

Leo nodded, moving close, and handing Mikey over, watching, along with Raph and Donnie, as Mikey was carried off.

"Please, Lou Jitsu, let him be okay..." the boys all sighed in unison.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Raph, Donnie, and Leo all piled together in the living room, having decided to try and distract themselves with a Lou Jitsu movie.

"So... do you think that he'll fare better after this?" Leo asked softly, looking to his big brothers.

"I'd rather not think about the future, this go 'round." Donnie replied softly, holding his knees close to his plastron.

Raph nodded, agreeing with Donnie's comment. At that, Leo silenced, looking at the mind numbing movie with little excitement.

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

The boys looked to the kitchen, surprised to hear the sound of the oven, which was only used by Mikey. They then stood, walking into the kitchen, and nearly dying as they saw the sight of their baby brother resting in the oven, purring as he was surrounded by the extreme heat.

 _"MIKEY!"_   Raph, Donnie, and Leo screamed, rushing forwards.

 _"Yame!"_   Splinter ordered, stopping his oldest sons.

"Dad! Can you not see that Mikey is-"

"Yes. I have eyes." Splinter chuckled. "This, funnily enough, is the only way that Orange has managed to keep warm."

"So, you're telling us... that the only way our baby brother can keep warm... is by pretty much  _baking himself?!"_   Leo screamed.

"Yep! And I feel all toasty warm! As cozy as you guys!" Mikey chimed, giggling.

This time, Donnie actually  _did_ faint. Raph leaned against a wall, and Leo had to process this information  _much more_.

"I'm going to go to my room for a bit, and, when I come back, I expect to have a full explanation." Leo muttered, turning and walking off.

Mikey giggled, moving to climb out of the oven, and yelping as he accidentally burned his arm. This made his brothers immediately rush to his aid, pulling Mikey out safely.

"ARE YOU OKAY?! WHERE DOES IT HURT?!" Donnie asked loudly.

"Dee, I'm fine." Mikey assured, hopping into Donnie's arms. "I've burned myself cooking, before."

"I know! But-"

"Ahp! Just calm down. Watch!" Mikey giggled, hopping back down, and safely making his way back into the oven, his purring resuming. "It's like basking, but without water..."

"I'm _really_ considering passing out again." Donnie commented.

"Same, fam." Leo replied.

"You two, I swear." Splinter muttered.

"Is it our fault that we want to keep him safe?!" Donnie screamed.

"No. But it  _is_ your fault for doubting your brother's capability to take care of himself." Splinter calmly responded.

Donnie and Leo then started a one-sided argument with Splinter, whilst Raph watched Mikey rest.

"You seem happy." Raph chuckled.

"I am." Mikey sighed. "As happy as a cactus."


	9. That Happens On Valentine's Day?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ilugabluiadhelobwqlfouhqweofbg
> 
> Why is explaining Valentine's Day to Mikey so weird?

"A kiss for you, A kiss for you, and a kiss for you!" Mikey cheered, handing out Hershey's Kisses to his brothers, giggling at the confused looks on their faces.

"Uhh... Mikey? What are these for?" Raph asked.

"They're my personal invitations to be my Valentine's sweethearts!" Mikey replied.

Raph, Donnie, and Leo blushed, all honored and amused by the response. Mikey waited for his brothers' responses, squealing with happiness at the nods from all of them.

"It's gonna be a  _great_ Valentine's Day this year! We can do all of the stuff regular people do on Valentine's Day!" Mikey gasped. "Donnie, what do normal humans do on Valentine's Day?"

"Oh! Well, they um..." Donnie trailed off, unsure of how to explain to his brother the truth about the holiday.

"Well, they hug, for one thing." Leo announced, deciding to only announce the more...  _innocent side_ of the Valentine's Day rituals. "And they give each other presents."

"They also watch sappy romance movies." April gagged, walking into the lair.

"April! Now we can know more of the stuff that humans do for Valentine's Day!" Mikey gasped.

April smiled, but it faded when she noticed the dangerous glares coming from the others. Raph shook his head, Donnie growled, and Leo made a shushing motion.

"Oh. Let's see. Regular humans like to eat a  _lot_ of chocolate on Valentine's Day." April chimed, remembering how much chocolate was passed out in school the year before. "And we like to hang out with friends."

"What about kissing?" Mikey suddenly asked, noticing how tense his brothers and April had become. "Don't humans kiss a lot?"

"Buh... well, you see, that part is more of a couple thing." April informed.

"Oh! Like making love!" Mikey chimed, flinching at the shocked screams from his embarrassed brothers. "What's so weird about that? Couples do that!"

"Well  _yeah!_ But you can't just shout that out!" Leo replied.

"Why not?" Mikey asked.

"Because, Michael; love making is a private thing. Most humans don't enjoy hearing about other peoples'... personal lives." Donnie muttered.

"I'll say." April remarked, shuddering.

"Oh." Mikey hummed. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright. Just, try not to do it again." Raph replied.

"Will do! Now, what other stuff do humans do?" Mikey inquired.

"Let's see, they like to make cards." April hummed.

"ARTS AND CRAFTS?!?!? Valentine's Day is best holiday!" Mikey screamed, rushing to his room to get art supplies.

While he was gone, the others fell to the ground. Valentine's Day, from now on, until their deaths, was going to be the most  _uncomfortable_ holiday of the year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this was short. I'm kind of at a standstill with my ideas lately. I'll take requests. Anything to get me out of this rut. ~_~
> 
> Also, I enjoy making you guys blush. So, take Mikey talking about love with great pride. ;3


	10. I Am a Normal Mutant Turtle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What even is Mikey anymore?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Head's up: Mikey's secondary name is pronounced Weaver-dean.

"Is this what a normal teen would do?" Mikey asked, looking to Leo.

The two were currently sitting on the top of a building, preparing to jump off, and land on the- most likely misplaced -waterbed that they had set up.

"Nah. Most teens would probably be putting eyeliner under their eyes and acting edgy." Leo replied.

"Then I have many objections." Mikey muttered.

"Why are you always going with the crowd, Weferdeuin?" Leo asked, a bit annoyed by Mikey's newfound "second self."

"I am just trying to keep this host for as long as possible. Draxum needs a piece of Huerin's Law tossed at him, and, unfortunately,  _I_ was the one sent to toss said law." Weferdeuin sighed.

"What?"

"What?"

"Boys! There you are!" Raph shouted, he and Donnie landing on top of the building that their little brothers were perched on.

"Oh, yes, our elder brethren! Surely here to save us from Leonardo's stupid idea!" Weferdeuin cheered. "No offense, to you, Slider."

"Some taken." Leo huffed.

"What are you doing? You've been out nearly all day!" Donnie asked, wrapping Mikey- er, Weferdeuin -in a protective hug.

"The Slider dragged me into this. I was brought against my will." Weferdeuin replied, pointing Leo.

"Hey! Don't blame this on me! You ended up giving in!" Leo shouted.

"Yes, Slider. because you threatened me." Weferdeuin replied emotionlessly.

"Don't believe him! He's delusional!" Leo warned.

"Sure.  _I'm_ the delusional one." Weferdeuin chuckled.

Raph and Donnie looked to each other in shocked confusion. Since when did Mikey refer to Leo as "The Slider"? And why was he doing so at all? Why was Mikey's voice suddenly so deep? And why was Leo not saying anything about it?

"Are we returning to the lair? I would enjoy that. There is food there." Weferdeuin inquired.

"Y'know, Mikey doesn't spread his words out like that." Leo chimed. "He uses contractions."

"Ah, yes. Are we going home? I'm hungry." Weferdeuin corrected. "Is that better, Slider?"

"Much." Leo replied.

. . .

_WHAT???_

"Are you two feeling okay?" Raph asked. "You don't feel nauseous or anything, do you?"

"I, as a normal, mutant turtle, feel fine." Weferdeuin replied.

"Yeah! See? Weferdeuin is fine!" Leo assured.

"Who?" Raph and Donnie asked.

"My name is MICHELANGELO! Do not forget that, Slider! Only the Cheis can call me by my birth name!" Weferdeuin shouted.

"Of Michelangelo?" Leo chuckled.

"...Well played, Slider." Weferdeuin muttered.

"Uh, Mikey?"

"Yes, Snapper?  _I mean_ , Raphael. _I mean_ , Raph. Yes, that is correct. Yes, Raph?" Weferdeuin replied.

Donnie placed a hand on Mike-  _Weferdeuin's_ -head, frowning. The Box Turtle didn't seem to have a fever, and looked perfectly fine on a physical level. Maybe it was just the cool air, and lack of a strict sleep schedule.

"I think we should get these two home." Donnie sighed.

"A smart decision." Weferdeuin agreed.

This led Donnie to pick his baby brother up, holding the little turtle close, in an awkward attempt of comfort. For whom Donnie was trying to comfort, was unknown.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Alright, Michael. From now on, with the exception of when we come home from a late night battle, you are to go to bed at 9:00 sharp. Do you understand me, young man?" Donnie asked, tucking his baby brother in.

"I understand, but I do not feel that I need this level of coddling. I am physically capable of getting myself comfortable. Why does my sudden change in behaviour lead you to act like such a mother hen?" Weferdeuin asked.

_"Go to sleep."_

"No need to tell me twice! Goodnight older sibling!" Weferdeuin shouted, turning around and closing his eyes.

The purple one sure could get scary when upset.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mikey yawned happily as he sat up, feeling oddly refreshed. But, he knew that this feeling would last for only so long. With a frustrated groan, Mikey got out of bed, walking up to a mirror, and glaring as his reflection started to become sentient.

"What did you do  _this time?_ _"_   Mikey huffed.

"Not much. The Slider forced me to try and pull a stunt that would have most likely injured us greatly. We were saved, by your elder brethren. At the perfect moment, too!" Weferdeuin chimed.

"Is that all? Nothing stupid or obnoxious?" Mikey asked, surprised.

"Nope. I would have stayed and spoken with the Cheis, had your blue banded brother not dragged me out." Weferdeuin replied.

Mikey smiled, proud of Weferdeuin. For once, the...  _creature_... didn't do something to get Mikey in trouble! With a hum, Mikey turned to leave.

"Oh! I near forgot to mention! You have a strict bedtime now!" Weferdeuin announced, snickering in response to the high pitched  _WHAT?!_ that he received.

"HOW LONG WERE YOU TWO OUT?!" Mikey squealed.

"Almost the entire day. Now, your purple brother feels the need to give you a reason to stay indoors past 9:00 sharp. With the exception of late night battles, if I recall correctly." Weferdeuin explained.

Mikey groaned, face palming. This  _would_ happen.

"Look, could you get through at least  _one day_ without making a fool out of me?" Mikey pleaded.

"Maybe. Your brethren make it difficult, though." Weferdeuin replied. "Uh-oh. Gotta go!"

"HEY! DON'T YOU LEAVE ME! I WAS JUST ABOUT TO TELL YOU WHAT FOR! YOU LITTLE-"

"Michael?"

Mikey paused, looking to the entryway of his room, to see a clearly distressed Donatello. Mikey giggled nervously.

"Uhh... beetles. I was chasing them off my stand." Mikey muttered.

Donatello said nothing.

"I'm fine, Donnie. I promise." Mikey assured.

"Since when?" a voice asked.

"SHUT UP! YOU NO GOOD- Dang it." Mikey huffed, realizing that only he could hear Weferdeuin at the moment.

"Michael... I want you to stick with me for the day, alright?" Donnie near whispered.

"But I-"

_"YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE!"_

Mikey groaned, banging his head against his stand.

Of course he didn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This strayed so far from the original intention. I have no idea where this came from. That being said, I don't really see Mikey being TOO into stuff like witchcraft (I see that as more of a Donnie thing), but, I think that fit in with this specific series. Mikey was acting weird, so, you can't blame me. \\_('_')_/
> 
> I feel like I should make a separate fic to explain where Weferdeuin came from. Hmm. To do, or not?


	11. Trial and Skateboard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey feels that Leon has done a great misdeed!

"LEO! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Mikey screamed, racing through the lair, and knocking Leonardo to the ground. "Don't resist my arrest! You're being convicted of the most violent acts of betrayal!"

_"What are you talking about?!"_   Leon asked, grunting as he was wrestled down onto the floor.

"You, Leon, have committed the worst crime in the history of crimes!" Mikey replied, pulling Leo into a headlock.

The action was short lived, of course, considering how Leo was physically stronger than his baby brother. Mikey was thrown back onto the floor, and he growled as he was met with Leo's confused glare.

"What was  _that_ for?" Leo questioned, watching as Mikey stood.

"You stole my skateboard!" Mikey accused.

"Leo! How could you do such a thing?!" April teased, walking towards the quarreling brothers.

"What?! I didn't steal his skateboard!" Leo shouted.

"Yes you did! I watched you take it last night!" Mikey whined.

"How could you have done that?! We were out all night, and you passed out  _on your skateboard!_ How could I have taken it from under you, without waking you up?" Leo asked, crossing his arms.

"...I CALL TRIAL!" Mikey announced loudly.

Raph poked his head into the main atrium of the lair, a confused look on his face. Donnie, from his perch on the ledge where the lab rested, looked down, amused, but not fully invested. Leo rolled his eyes, face palming. Of all the things that Mikey could have done out of boredom, he  _would_ want to play "Judge Mikey."

"Fine. We can play "Judge Mikey," but you can't get upset when it gets boring." Leo muttered.

"The trial starts  _NOW!"_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Leonardo, you have committed an ultimate crime against the Turtle Brotherhood... you have stolen an object that means very much to me, and you have denied my request to have it back." Mikey growled lowly, sitting upon a large desk with a calm glare.

"...How did you get that-"

"I'LL NEVER TELL! Besides, that isn't the topic of interest at the moment." Mikey interrupted. "Now, Leonardo, I must ask you, for your crimes against me... how do you plead?"

"Uhh, "not guilty"!" Leo scoffed. "Wait a second..."

Leo looked behind the desk, and sighed. Right near Mikey's leg, was his orange speckled skateboard. It was in perfect condition, and was most obviously  _not. Stolen_ _._

"Mikey, can I ask you something?" Leo inquired.

"Permission granted. But, please, be more formal next time." Mikey replied.

"Fine,  _Your Honor,_ if I stole your skateboard, then why is it next to your left leg?" Leo asked.

"...GUILTY! Your punishment is a bonk on the head!" Mikey shouted. "Donnie, if you would."

_Bonk!_

"OW! What was that for?!" Leo huffed, looking to his genius brother.

"Hey, it's not my rule." Donnie snickered.

"Well, even if it  _was_ , I should at least get something from the jury!" Leo whined, gesturing to Raph and April, who were sitting on chairs.

"Fine. Has the jury come to a conclusion?" Mikey asked.

"Yes we have, Your Honor. We, the jury, find the defendant Leonardo...  _Guilty_." April replied, somehow managing to hold back a loud laugh.

_Bonk! Bonk!_

"Hey! It was supposed to be  _one bonk!"_   Leo growled.

"Actually, according to the "Judge Mikey" rules, for every person who finds you guilty, depending on their status in the family, you are to get that many amount of bonks." Mikey hummed, looking over a stack of papers.

_Bonk! Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!_

"Okay, now you're just doing it to do it!" Leo accused, looking back to Donnie.

"SILENCE! Two more bonks!" Mikey ordered.

"No! I'm gone! I'm  _done_ playing "Judge Mikey"! No more for the day!" Leo walked out of the room, hands in the air in frustration.

With a saddened whine, Mikey crawled off of the desk, and walked up next to April. The young female smiled, patting Mikey's head.

"It's okay, Mike. Justice has been served." Raph assured.

"No it hasn't! We haven't tried him for deleting everything on the DVR as a prank!" Mikey replied.

Raph and Donnie suddenly lost all bouts of amusement on their faces. With a smile, and an impish gasp, Mikey cheered as his brothers stomped in the direction that Leon had walked.

"Judge Mikey is back at it again!"


	12. Bubbles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Children, no matter the age, are more than likely to swallow inedible objects. It's just common knowledge by now.

"Hey, Don?" Leo asked, eyes focused on the odd display before him.

"What do you want, Leon?" Donnie replied, looking through multiple posts on his tablet, snickering at a few stupid pictures every now and then.

"Uhh, okay... I don't know much about Box Turtles, but... I'm pretty sure that they're not supposed to be breathing bubbles." Leo chimed, grabbing Donnie's attention immediately.

Both brothers looked to the aforementioned Box Turtle, who was giggling as bubbles floated out of his mouth. Mikey was playing with a small action figure, and had the figure dressed as a knight. If one were to guess, it would be somewhat easy to find out that Mikey was pretending to be a dragon. Or, if you were trying to think like Mikey, he was pretending to be a  _bubble dragon_.

"How and when did this happen?" Donnie asked softly, trying to calculate all of the possibilities to answer his own question.

"I just noticed it a few minutes ago. I have  _no idea_ how it started." Leo whispered back.

Mikey huffed out a few more bubbles, bursting into laughter as the bubbles came out like a dragon's fire.

"I'm the most ferocious dragon! You shall call me...  _Bubbles_..." Mikey giggled, breathing out, and blowing out more bubbles. "Do you see me?"

Mikey looked to his older brothers, smiling widely at their half hearted smiles. Leo mouthed a few things to Donnie, who nodded, walking up to Mikey, and sitting down.

"Michael? Can I ask you something?" Donnie asked, continuing after receiving a nod of approval. "Alright. So... why are you breathing out bubbles?"

"Because I'm a bubble dragon!" Mikey replied. "And I may or may not have accidentally swallowed a bar of soap..."

"And, the fat lady sings." Leo chuckled.

"Leon, there's this thing called maturity." Donnie sighed.

"Yeah! We like being mature in this household!" Mikey agreed.

"This coming from the one who swallowed a bar of soap." Leo pointed out.

"It was an accident!" Mikey claimed, fiddling around with his action figure.

"How do you accidentally eat a bar of soap?" Donnie inquired.

"...I fell... and... there was a bar of soap." Mikey replied, not looking at his brothers.

"That makes no sense." Leon commented.

"Okay... I was planning on carving a mini sculpture... and I got hungry... and the soap smelled like berries." Mikey admitted, a light blush appearing on his face.

"I thought that only happened in cartoons." Leo muttered.

Mikey sneezed, bubbles escaping from his nose. In response to the pain that had started searing throughout his nose, Mikey squealed, fanning his face, and beginning to cry.

"Alright! Okay! Let's go try and get rid of these bubbles!" Donnie shouted, standing Mikey up, and leading the younger to the lab.

"I just wanted to blow bubbles!" Mikey sobbed, trying not to focus on the pain.

Meanwhile, Leo had started to play with the action figure that Mikey had dropped. The little turtle had affectionately named the action figure "Knight of the Night," and was very fond of it. Not as fond of it as he was of Plusho, but still pretty fond.

"Leo! Get the dropper!" Donnie shouted.

Leo did as told, grabbing the dropper from the kitchen, and calmly strolling into the lab, where Mikey was sitting in a swivel chair, trying not to breathe too hard.

"Aww. Poor little brother." Leo teased, handing the dropper to Donnie, and watching as Donnie helped to flush out the soap.

"Mah nose hurts." Mikey whimpered, sneezing as his treatment ended.

"It'll hurt for a while. Just, try not to eat anymore bars of soap." Donnie advised, patting Mikey's shoulder.

"I won't. I've learned my lesson! From now on, I'll substitute soap, for oil! I'll breathe  _REAL FIRE!"_   Mikey announced.

_"WAIT, WHAT?"_


	13. The Science of Comedy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oy, someone taught Mikey a few corny science pickup lines...

"Hey, April? Are you made of Copper and Tellurium? Because you're  _Cu-Te!"_   Mikey giggled, making finger guns at his human friend.

April burst into laughter, holding on to her stomach and trying not to cry. That was perhaps one of the corniest pickup lines that she had ever heard. Which meant that this joke either came from Leo, or- a more believable possibility -from Donnie.

"Girl, you must be made of Uranium and Iodine, because all I can see, is U and I." Mikey teased, scooting closer to April and winking playfully. "You're so kind and sweet! Forget Hydrogen, you're my number one element!"

April's laughter became louder, and she had to lean against a wall, so as to not fall over. Mikey squealed, jumping up and down. The young teen had looked up some of the most innocent pickup lines he could find, and was ecstatic to learn that they were working. In a friendly way, of course.

"April, you give me Cardiac Arrhythmia every time I see you." Mikey chimed.

Oh boy. Mikey had even went so far as to look up  _biology jokes_ , of all things.

"Why is Mikey talking about irregular heartbeat?" Donnie inquired, walking into the kitchen, where Mikey and April had settled themselves.

"He's trying to use corny pickup lines." April replied.

"Whoa! Miguel, I didn't know that you had a crush on April!" Leo gasped, walking up to his brother with a proud smile.

"What? No! I don't have a crush on April! I was just trying to use the best pickup lines, so that I can practice for the future!" Mikey replied, puffing out his chest.

"Who do you plan on using those lines on? We don't really go out much." Leo asked.

"We'll all meet someone! Whenever the time comes, I'll be ready!" Mikey proudly chimed. "Hey, April? Does the carpet-"

"OKAY! TOO MANY LINES HAVE BEEN USED IN THIS VICINITY!" Donnie screamed, slapping a hand over Mikey's mouth.

April covered her eyes, embarrassed, but amused at the same time. Mikey  _would_ end up saying something that seemed innocent enough. Mikey growled, a pout forming behind Donnie's hand. When she noticed Mikey's dismay, April walked up to the tiny turtle, placing a sweet kiss on Mikey's cheek, and smirking at the large blush that appeared on Mikey's face.

"Something tells me that he likes being kissed." Leo chuckled.

"I'm gonna be the best pickup liner ever..." Mikey sighed bashfully, holding Donnie's arm close. "And this is just the beginning..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was shorter than any of the others, but I'm still proud of it. :D


	14. Excited Greetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes, for those who didn't know or hear, his name is Mikey.

"I bet it's super  _cool_ down in the Hidden City! There are so many mutants/Yokai we have yet to meet!" Mikey bounced around his brothers, smiling widely as he was held still by Donnie, who let out a sigh of playful exasperation.

"Yeah, it might be cool. It might be boring. It might even be  _dangerous_." Leo chimed, arms crossed. "But, no matter what it is, I'm just ready to get it done as soon as possible."

"Leo, be positive about this!" Raph huffed.

"Well, I  _would be_ , were we to not have  _awful luck_ with the mystic types of the Hidden City." Leo replied scornfully, thinking back to the brothers' encounter with Big Mama.

"I'm sure that the others will be friendlier!" Mikey stated optimistically. "I just know that we'll make plenty of new friends!"

The others chuckled, following Mikey into the entrance of the Hidden City. Said entrance had been blatantly displayed in the Run-of-the-Mill pizza place, and seemed to buzzing with life for the past few minutes. The Hidden City was a beautiful area, and it was full of all kinds of creatures. From tiny, mutant ants, to large, rhino Yokai.

"Whoa... I want to befriend everyone here!" Mikey screamed, moving away from his brothers, and towards a group of Yokai. "Hi! I'm Mikey! Hi! I'm Mikey! HMM! Mm mm-mm!"

"Yes, for those of you who didn't hear him, he  _is_ Mikey." Donnie sighed, making the Yokai snicker.

Mikey let out a muffled whine, and he pushed Donnie's hand away. Donnie rolled his eyes in response, watching with unexpressed concern as Mikey ran off once more.

"Hi! I'm Mikey! What's your name?" Mikey inquired, looking up at an intimidating lionlike Yokai.

"What's it to ya?" the Yokai asked.

"I just wanna be friends." Mikey replied calmly, holding out a hand with a bright, fearless smile.

"Hmm. The name's Acre." the Yokai muttered, shaking Mikey's hand.

"Acre? That's a neat name! I've never heard a name like that before. Why is your name Acre? Oh! Where you born on a large area of land? Was your mother in a large field? Hey, have you ever eaten a live-"

"Michael!" Donnie shouted, shutting Mikey up. "Heheh. Sorry about that, sir."

"Nothin' wrong here. Just try to keep the kid's trap shut. His curiosity will get him more than a few smacks if he doesn't watch what he says." Acre advised, ears lying back as he walked off.

Donnie and Mikey watched Acre until he was out of eyesight and earshot, before Donnie looked to Mikey with a scolding glare.

"Mikey, do you remember that talk we had? The one about asking strangers personal questions?" Donnie asked. Mikey nodded. "And, what was it that we agreed on?"

"We agreed that I would never talk to strangers about their personal lives, because I could get hurt." Mikey replied, smile still plastered on his face.

"Then why'd you talk to that Yokai about eating live... whatever?" Raph asked, he and Leo walking up to Donnie and Mikey.

"Because Mr. Acre and I are friends now! I can ask him stuff like that now!" Mikey stated, absolutely sure of his sudden "friendship" with the Yokai known as Acre.

"I'm pretty sure friendship doesn't work like that." Leo commented, not really too invested in the situation.

"Yes it does! Watch!" Mikey shouted, running off once more, and stopping next to a group of Wolf-like Yokai. "Hi! I'm Mikey! What are your names?"

"Who's asking?" the largest of the Yokai asked.

"Me! I'm Mikey!" the Box Turtle giggled, placing out his hand once more.

The largest of the Yokai turned his head to the only female, gesturing to Mikey's hand. The female nodded, moving forward, and sniffing Mikey's hand. Mikey laughed, pulling his hand back and squealing. The group of Yokai looked to each other, nodding before smiling.

"Kid's clean." the group agreed.

"Yeah I am! I take a bath twice a day!" Mikey chimed, doing a little dance. "Being this adorable doesn't come naturally!"

"I'm sure it doesn't." one of the smaller Yokai chuckled, watching as Mikey wiggled his arms around.

"Do you guys howl at the moon?" Mikey inquired.

"Eh, from time to time." the largest Yokai replied.

"Can you do a howl now?" Mikey asked, eyes widening.

"I don't see why not." the female Yokai replied.

The group then threw their heads back, letting out a deep, beautiful howl. Mikey gasped, crawling onto a chair, and joining in. After that action, the group could only howl for so much longer, before they burst into laughter, all looking to Mikey, who was still trying to emulate their howl.

"Kid, you are somethin' else." the largest Yokai snickered. "I guess you're trustworthy enough. I'm Dennis, she's Cain, and he's Cash."

"Dennis, Cain, and Cash... whoa. I wish my name was as cool as yours." Mikey whispered.

"Well, I think the name Michelangelo fits you. The guy was pretty eccentric for an old man." Cain replied.

"I'm eccentric?! Yeah! I'm eccentric now!" Mikey cheered, spinning around in the chair before stopping. "What does eccentric mean?"

"It means that you aren't boring, to put it simply." Cash answered.

"Oh yeah! I'm not boring at all! My brothers and I fight all kinds of villains and stuff!" Mikey exclaimed, leaning forward, and nearly falling.

"Villains? What do you mean by that?" Cain asked.

"Oh, you know... mutants and/or Yokai who threaten the very existence of humans." Mikey replied, playing with a nearby salt shaker.

Dennis, Cain, and Cash then let out a breath of relief. So this kid wasn't a cop. That was good. They were starting to kind of like Mikey.

"Alright Mikey. You've made your point. Come on, we have more  _exploring_ to do." Leo chimed.

"Aww! But I was just getting to know them!" Mikey whined.

"Miguel,  _now_." Leo growled, earning a childish huff.

"I don't wanna go." Mikey muttered, pouting as he was gently nudged towards Raph and Donnie.

"Bye Mikey!" Cash shouted.

"I'm sorry about that. He can get pretty excited when he's somewhere new." Leo apologized.

"Don't apologize! We liked him!" Cain assured. "Maybe we could set up a monitored playdate?"

Leo hummed, looking back to his brothers, and then up to Dennis. The large Yokai seemed to think, before agreeing. Leo smiled, turning back to his brothers, and using a bit of body language to express the plan.

"YES!" Mikey shouted.

"Mikey, this isn't your call." Raph scolded. "Donnie?"

"...It's alright with me." Donnie replied.

Mikey cheered, hopping up and down, and hugging Donnie close.

"As long as Leo goes with you whenever you come to visit them." Donnie added.

"No! Not Leo! Why can't you or Raph go?!" Mikey whined.

"Well,  _I_ have to continuously make sure that everything in the lair works and is up-to-date." Donnie chuckled, showing no excessive sign of amusement. Even though the amusement was there.

"And I have to make sure to be buff enough to take care of you three." Raph chimed.

Mikey groaned, glancing over to Leo and the group of Yokai, who were all snickering at the situation. The quartet then shushed each other, looking around the area, and pretending that they hadn't been doing anything.

"You guys are mean." Mikey complained quietly.

"You'll get over it. Come on, Leo!" Donnie announced.

Leo said his goodbyes to the group, following his brothers farther into the Hidden City.

"Are you gonna try to make some new friends?" Leo asked teasingly.

"What kind of question is  _that?"_   Mikey huffed. "Of course I am!"

Raph and Donnie looked to Leo angrily. The Slider giggled, shrugging as Mikey ran farther into the city. Mikey continued to run, until he caught sight of what seemed to be the subtle outline of-

"Get back here! I'm going to  _strangle you_ , you annoying little orange terrapin!"

Raph, Donnie, and Leo looked to see Mikey being chased by none other than Hypno. Mikey squealed, hopping up onto a stand, and onto the ground, taunting Hypno every time the hippo mutant missed.

"You're such an immature  _child!"_   Hypno growled.

"I know! Aren't I so cute?" Mikey replied, dodging Hypno's attacks.

"Hypno! Leave him alone!" Raph shouted.

"Don't worry, boys! I got backup!" Mikey announced, gesturing to Acre, Dennis, Cain, and Cash, who had all rushed to Mikey's aid. "Looks like making friends really  _does_ work this way, Leon!"

"You got his legs?" Dennis asked Cash and Cain.

The two nodded, looking to Acre, who snarled. It was obvious that he and Dennis were going to go for the top. The group then pounced onto Hypno, screaming for Mikey and his brothers to run off. Which they did.

"Thanks guys!" Mikey shouted, laughing as he and his brothers jumped out of the entrance to the Hidden City. "Wow! That was really fun! We should do that every day!"

Raph, Donnie, and Leo all groaned, falling to the floor, and whining as they realized how big of a mistake it was that they had made. Starting now, thanks to this annoying encounter, there would be a strict mantra between the brothers:

"From now on, we aren't going into that place unless absolutely necessary."


	15. Don't Leave Me!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Log Entry #424: It looks like Michelangelo has a bit of a problem with waking up to a silent home.

Michelangelo's eyes opened slowly, and he yawned loudly as he stretched his limbs, smacking his lips together, and listening for the daily routine of skateboards, exploding experiments, and grunts of weight lifting. When he was met with none of them, Mikey hummed, climbing off of his bed, and looking around the lair. No sign of his brothers was anywhere, and Mikey was starting to get somewhat worried. Why were his brothers not going through their daily routines? It wasn't any type of special occasion, and the others weren't really ones to go Valentine's Day shopping.

"Guys? Where are you?" Mikey asked, voice reverberating through the lair.

This made Mikey visibly cringe, and he scuttled out of the light, afraid that he would attract something scary, were he to stay in one place. This was weird, and creepy, and sad, and concerning all at once.

"Donnie? Leo? Raphie? Are you in here?" Mikey asked, much quieter this time. "Guys?"

No response.

Mikey gasped, moving from his position, and walking into the living room. No sign of his brothers. Mikey then moved into the kitchen. Nothing. With a whimper, Mikey looked in each of his older brothers' rooms, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes as he found nothing. Where could everyone possibly be? They wouldn't have left Mikey alone without letting him know! They  _knew_ how Mikey got when he was left alone without warning!

"Guys! This isn't funny! If you're hiding, get out here!" Mikey shouted. "I'm scared..."

The soft _drip, drip, dripping_ of water was all that Mikey got in response.

"Oh..." Mikey sniffled, gasping as he remembered something. "Dad?! Dad! You gotta help me find... the... others..."

Splinter wasn't in his room, and there was no indication of the rat leaving. The room was still dirty, and it still had cake strewn about the area.

"Not you too..." Mikey softly cried, backing out of Splinter's room, and slowly walking into the living room, plopping onto Splinter's chair, and sobbing quietly.

Thirty minutes passed, and the silence ensued. By this point, Mikey had become used to the eerie silence, and had fallen asleep, sighing and groaning every now and then as he shifted when he became uncomfortable.

"I can't  _believe_ that woman! Who sells Valentine's Day decorations for $20  _each?!"_

Mikey's head flew up, and he yelped as he fell off of Splinter's chair. Mikey ran out of the living room, gasping happily as he saw his brothers and April walking in from the main tunnel entrance, bags of pink and red decorations in their hands.

"To be fair, April  _did_ get the woman to lower the price. These things were $50 before April threatened the manager." Donnie chimed.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"GUYS!" Mikey squealed, rushing up to his family, and pulling them into a tight hug.

"Uhh... Mike-"

"I thought you left me forever..." Mikey whispered.

The others silenced, and they each took their turns to sigh heavily. Something told them that they should have told Mikey that they were going out.

"Mikey, you know that we wouldn't do that." April assured.

"I know, but... I got so  _scared_. It was so  _quiet_ , and I thought..." Mikey trailed off, looking to the floor.

Leo placed a hand under Mikey's chin, lifting Mikey's head up. Mikey sniffled, smiling weakly in response to Raph's reassuring head pat.

"Again, we wouldn't do that." Leo whispered, pulling Mikey into another hug.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were gonna go?" Mikey asked.

"Well, about that-"

"You looked so  _cute_ while you were sleeping! We didn't want to scare you!" Raph replied.

"That didn't really work out, did it?" Mikey muttered, earning chuckles of amusement.

"Look, we love you too much to leave you alone, you big old baby." Leo chimed. "Who's a big baby? Are you a big baby?"

"LEO! Agh! NO! Raph! Donnie! April! Save me! He's trying to murder me!" Mikey squealed, pretending to pass out as he got a playful kiss to the cheek.

"Oh no! Now Mikey is leaving us! Darn you karma!" Leo dramatically wailed.

"And I thought  _you_ were the dramatic one." April muttered to Donnie.

"I  _am._ They just like to imitate me." Donnie replied.

"You're so easy to imitate! We just can't resist!" Mikey giggled, accidentally punching Leo. "OH MI GOSH! Leo! I'm so sorry!"

Donnie and Raph burst into laughter, whilst April scolded them for doing so. Mikey continued to apologize to Leo, even when the Slider assured Mikey that it was okay.

"Do you need ice?! I can get you ice!" Mikey whimpered.

"Mikey, I'm  _fine!_ You don't have to- and we're going into the kitchen. Okay." Leon sighed, making no advances to stop Mikey.

"I shall save the once silent day!" Mikey screamed, grabbing an ice tray, and slamming it onto Leo's face.

"Mother of the Pizza Supreme!" Leo growled, pushing the ice tray away.

"Pizza Supreme! Forgive me!" Mikey wailed, leaning against Leo and sobbing.

Raph, Donnie, and April all watched with somewhat concerned amusement. April then looked to Donnie, raising a brow.

"Are you  _sure_ that you're the dramatic one?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Splinter was off playing some Bingo with the other mutant bois. (_/-3-)_/


	16. Hot Berry Soup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raspberries, Strawberries, Blueberries and Blackberries are the perfect remedy for any type of ailments~
> 
> According to Mikey.

Soft bubbling emitted from the kitchen, the sweet smell of what could only be  _berries_ wafting through the air. In response, Splinter found himself lifting his nose up to catch the smell better. Four berry types. That was what the smell consisted of. Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries. Splinter hummed, nose wiggling for a bit before he licked his lips. Michelangelo was cooking, and whatever he was cooking, was most likely going to be good.

"Hey pop! Wanna try the soup I'm making?" Mikey asked, bouncing up to Splinter, whom had walked into the kitchen to investigate.

"It depends, Orange. How much of everything is in it?" Splinter inquired, stroking his bed.

"Well, there are 3 1/2 cups of blueberries, 2 cups of raspberries, 2 cups of blackberries, and 1 1/2 cups of strawberries! Mixed in, is one tablespoon of sugar, about two squirts of honey, a half cup of cinnamon, and one teaspoon of vanilla!" Mikey replied. "All of it sautéed and lightly drizzled in a pinch of salt."

Splinter's ears perked up, and he found his tail swaying in induced interest. Such a creation seemed to be something that Michelangelo was more than capable of coming up with. With a smile, Splinter nodded, accepting the small bowl he was granted in response.

"It certainly smells divine, Orange." Splinter chimed, grabbing hold of a spoon and stirring the "berry soup."

"I really hope you like it! I noticed that you've been a bit groggy lately, so I made this to try and cheer you up!" Mikey replied, hugging himself excitedly.

Splinter smirked, pulling the spoon up to his mouth, and taking a sip of the sweet soup he'd been served. It certainly was delicious, and the flavors mixed together wonderfully. The first thing that Splinter noticed when he took the first spoonful of soup, was how satisfyingly hot it was. Michelangelo and his brothers certainly were aware of how much their father loved having his soup hot. The next thing, was the burst of berries and honey that rested upon Splinter's taste buds. This taste was enhanced, of course, due to Splinter's mutation into a rat. Meaning that Splinter got the perfect hint of everything.

Even the salt.

"Hmm. I am not surprised. This soup is one of the best soups I have tasted yet." Splinter congratulated. "Well done... Michelangelo."

Mikey squealed. Hearing Splinter say any of his sons' real names was a treasure to cherish. Splinter was not really one to use his sons' real names, unless he was scolding them, or giving them much deserved praise and affection. Of course, Splinter always let his sons know that he loved them. Using their real names was just a bit of an extra kicker.

"Thanks pop! I'm glad you like it! Now I can go and give it to Donnie!" Mikey gasped. "He's been getting sick lately, and he keeps refusing to tell the truth."

Splinter chuckled, watching Mikey prepare another bowl of soup. The young teen whistled as he worked, and walked with a proud stride towards Donnie's lab.

"This soup will cure all!" Mikey screamed.

Upon hearing this, Raph and Leo raced out of sight, and both snickered as Mikey made his way into the lab. Mikey announced his presence to his genius older brother, and giggled in response to Donnie's groan of disapproval.

"Come on big bro! It'll help you feel better!" Mikey chimed, placing the bowl next to Donnie's arm.

"Michael, I appreciate the gesture, but I will tell you for the  _last time:_ I. Am not. Sick." Donnie hissed, narrowing his eyes as Mikey continued to press the soup closer.

"I didn't say you were!" Mikey replied. "Leo did! I just wanna help you feel better!"

"Why would you trust  _anything_ that Leon says?" Donnie asked, a bit more envy in his voice than intended.

Mikey did nothing negative in response. Which meant that he either hadn't noticed the tone, or wasn't paying said tone any attention.

"Please, Dee? You're my big brother, and I want you to stop feeling so sickly!" Mikey whined. "At least  _try it!_ I made it extra special, and I got it Splinter Approved!"

Donatello paused, glancing to Mikey, and sighing at the puppy eyes he was receiving. It was clear at this point, that Michelangelo wasn't going to take "no" for an answer. So, rather reluctantly, Donatello grabbed the bowl, taking a sip of the soup, and humming in surprise.

"Wow. This is... absolutely  _delectable!_ _"_   Donnie exclaimed, smiling in response to the excited hug he'd received.

"That's right! Now, I'm putting you on a strict diet! You must eat a bowl of this soup, _hot and fresh_ , at least once a day! You will also need to drink plenty of juice and water, and make sure to watch plenty of Tv with your baby brother!" Mikey explained, pretending to write down his instructions on the wall. "It's the rules."

"Hmm, well, I can't argue with the rules." Donnie chuckled, standing and following Mikey into the living room. "So, what to watch, baby brother?"

"Squids versus sharks!" Mikey shouted.

"Isn't that an R rated movie...?" Donnie asked.

"No." Mikey replied. "Maybe. Yeah."

"Okay, look, I may be "getting sick," but I'm not "sick" enough to be uninformed about things like that." Donnie muttered.

"Aww. Fine... what about Finding Nemo?" Mikey inquired.

"Eh, why not? It'll probably put me to sleep in the first three minutes." Donnie replied, leaning against Splinter's chair.

Mikey crawled onto Donnie's lap, leaning against the Softshell, and watching as Donnie turned on the movie. The movie was watched for around eight minutes, before both brothers started to go to sleep. Mikey, of course, fought it, and got his fair share of scolding smacks for accidentally punching Donnie in the gut. Repeatedly.

"Stop 'nd go t' sleep." Donnie huffed softly.

Mikey whined something unintelligible in response, but finally got settled, and started to softly snore. Donnie followed suit not even five seconds later, and this left the brothers to be snoring and slobbering messes. Splinter chuckled as he walked in to see the display. How cute it was, when his sons ended up in situations like this. Especially when said situations involved Mikey. The little turtle was usually the one who was the cause of cuddle moments such as the one now.

"My little turtles, have now become strong, confident young men." Splinter sighed. "And each of you still has a ways to go."

Splinter then sat next to his two sleeping sons, using his robe to wipe a bit of drool from the side of Donnie's mouth. Mikey sighed, yawning and snuggling closer to his elder brother. Splinter smiled fondly, looking up to Donnie with disgruntled amusement as Donnie began snoring loudly. Mikey whined, hand wandering around Donnie's face, before finding Donnie's mouth, and slamming it shut. This caused Splinter to snicker, and he gave both sons soft pats on the head, before placing a kiss on both of their cheeks.

"Thank you, Michelangelo." Splinter whispered. "Thank you for your personality, and your hot berry soup."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this one shows what happens when I involve Splinter in chapters.
> 
> And I assure you, that these types of chapters will happen more often, from now on.


	17. Snip Snip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey's gettin' his claws trimmed.

"Mikey! Calm down! You're  _FINE!_ He isn't murdering you!" Leo shouted, cursing and complaining as it once again dawned upon him that he was on constriction duty once more.

'Constriction Duty,' as the brothers had called it, was the task shared between Raph and Leo, whenever Donnie felt that it was time to trim Mikey's claws. The hazardous weapons would always get sharp enough to break skin without trying, and everyone in the lair- besides Mikey, of course -was more than against the things getting any sharper than that.

"NO! DAD! APRIL! SAVE ME!" Mikey wailed, fighting against the muzzle that was being placed on him.

Barbaric, sure, but it was the only thing (so far) that the brothers could use to keep Mikey from biting at their arms. Days like these were stressful for everyone, and the brothers were usually all spent after having trimmed Mikey's claws. The process lasted much longer than it should have- that being around 30 minutes per _claw_ -and it was constantly proving to get worse as the years went by.

"Michael! Just sit  _still!_ This will be over with faster, if you just cooperate!" Donnie growled, dodging a swipe from his baby brother. "Leon! Hold him tighter!"

"I'm  _TRYING!_ What, do you think I want this thing coming after me with claws that sharp?!" Leo scoffed.

"LEO! He's our baby brother! Stop acting like he's a wild animal!" Raph scolded.

"This coming from the one who agreed that we should  _muzzle_ Mikey!" Leo replied.

"Raph! Leo! Can you  _please_ settle this  _after_ we get this done?!" Donnie all out pleaded.

Raph and Leo nodded, keeping a tight grip on Mikey, and cringing at the loud sound of muffled sawing, followed by a shriek of pain. Which was odd. Mikey always acted like he was being  _tortured_ when his claws were being trimmed. He never acted in such a way when his beak needed to be filed, so it genuinely confused the others as to why Mikey was so against getting his claws trimmed.

 _"TOO CLOSE! YOU'RE TOO CLOSE!"_   Mikey squealed, kicking forward, and successfully- but unintentionally -landing one of his back claws into Donnie's thigh.

"MUSHROOM  _MANGOES!"_   Donnie screamed, unlatching Mikey's claw, and cursing silently.

"You were too close!" Mikey screamed, pulling his leg back.

"WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!" Donnie asked loudly, grunting as he wrapped a towel around his injured leg.

"You keep getting too close to the hurt place!" Mikey complained, squirming around.

"Hurt place?" Raph and Leo asked.

"YEAH! The place that makes me bleed when you hit it too hard!" Mikey replied.

"What? Are you talking about the cuticle?" Donnie inquired.

"I don't care  _what_ it's called! It  _hurts!_ _"_   Mikey hissed, letting out a warning growl as Raph moved to tighten the muzzle.

"Why didn't you tell us this before now?!" Leo asked with exasperation.

"Because I'm always mad at you guys afterwards! You trim my claws, and expect me to be okay with it, even after all I do to tell you otherwise!" Mikey responded sharply.

"Well, not telling us certainly isn't going to help us know what and what not to do!" Donnie hissed, glaring at Mikey, who glared back.

"Look, we're all upset, and we're all getting tired. Let's just get this over with. Maybe it can be easier with this new information, right Donnie?" Raph suggested.

Donnie huffed, but nodded, and raised his hands to return to trimming Mikey's claws. Michelangelo hissed loudly, and Donatello hissed right back, leading both of them to be a hissing war. Both males continued to hiss, until Raph smacked Donnie on the back of the head. Leo, in an attempt to help, smacked Mikey. The two bickering brothers then ceased their animalistic argument, and the claw trimming treatment managed to go by much faster than it ever had before.

"Get this thing off me!" Mikey whined, grunting as the muzzle that was placed on him was removed.

Raph did as told, and watched as Mikey dropped to the floor gracelessly. Leo snickered, grunting as he was pushed down onto the floor as well. Mikey's arms and legs had fallen asleep, and he was now left to wait out the numbed feeling.

"Let's call that payback for scratching me and call it a day, yeah?" Donnie commented.

"You're always so cynical." Mikey huffed, moving as he started to regain feeling in his arms and legs.

"Oh, don't be like that. You should have told us!" Leo chimed, sitting up and looking to his baby brother, whom was lying still on the floor.

"Blegh..." was all that Mikey responded with, before starting to pull his head into his shell.

"NO! No, don't do that Miguel! We just wanna make sure that you can't unintentionally hurt someone!" Leo assured, rushing up to Mikey.

"By hurting  _me?"_   Mikey scoffed, his action stopping.

"Mikey-"

"You're just saying that because you're petty." Donnie teased, sitting down in front of his little brothers.

" _I'm_ petty? You should be saying that to  _Leo!_ He's the one who steals our stuff when he's mad at us!" Mikey shouted.

"That may be so, but  _you're_ the one who refused to tell us how to make you feel better." Donnie replied calmly.

"I was in pain!" Mikey whined.

"For four months every year?" Donnie inquired sarcastically.

"What?! NO!" Mikey replied.

"Then why didn't you ever say anything?" Raph asked.

"Because I- Well- I... URGH!" Mikey slammed his face into the floor, letting out a loud, dry wail, and refusing to look back up at his brothers.

"What's wrong? Getting caught up in your own petty logic?" Donnie snickered.

"Shut up!" Mikey whined.

"Why should I? Am I hurting your poor wittle petty feewings?" Donnie asked, bursting into laughter at his own taunting.

"Donnie..." Mikey growled, shifting as the feeling started to return in his arms and legs.

"Does poor wittle petty baby need his pacifier?"

"DONNIE! SHUT UP!"

"Aww! I think he does!"

"CUT IT OUT! You have  _NO IDEA_ what you're in for!"

"What? A beatdown from an immature five year old? Because that's what you're acting like."

Mikey roared, slamming his body against Donnie's and leaving them both on the ground. Donnie pushed Mikey away, both teens glaring at each other before giggling. Mikey wiggled up to his big brother, and enveloped the elder into a tight hug. Leo joined in after a few seconds, and Raph followed not too long after.

"You guys are mean." Mikey hummed.

"Uh-huh. Sure we are." Donnie replied.

Right now, things were good. Togetherness was good. Sappiness was good. Softness was good. And family was great.

And from that day on, claw trimming was never a hassle again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Insert Donnie trimming Mikey's claws over coffee, here*


	18. Crushing Strength

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This new waiter is the boy band to Mikey's 14 year old girly girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh... yeah. Y'know...
> 
> It's almost Valentine's Day. And I did another one of these.
> 
> Because I'm lonely. :')

22.

That's how old the Yokai was.

That's how old the handsome, 6"2, catlike Yokai was. The one creature that brought the dumbest of smiles to his customers' faces, with just a flash of his teeth. The guy was sweet, and knew how to make a person laugh. His name was  _Character_ , and that drew up many interesting questions and conversations between the Yokai and his customers. Apparently, Character's parents wanted to give him a name unlike any other Yokai's. They wanted him to be unique. Which he was. Character was outgoing, charming, funny, and patient.

And all of that was what drew Mikey's attention. Mikey enjoyed talking to Character when the brothers visited the Run-of-the-Mill pizzeria. Mikey enjoyed hearing Character's interested questions about the brothers' family dynamic. Mikey enjoyed telling Character about the many adventures the brothers had been on.

To put it simply, Mikey enjoyed every aspect of Character in general.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Come on guys! Let's go!" Mikey whined, tugging at Raph's arm hurriedly.

"Mikey, we're five minutes away from the pizzeria on foot. Why are you so obsessed with getting there at the same time,  _every day?"_   Leo asked, keeping his pace matched with his rushing baby brother's.

"Because that's when they serve the specials!" Mikey replied, picking up his pace, and cheering as he made it to the pizzeria in record time.

The others rolled their eyes, following Mikey up to the hidden entrance. Raph then opened the hidden door, and the brothers walked in. With a small squeal, Mikey rushed up to the booth that the brothers always sat at, ushering his brothers over anxiously. Raph and Donnie walked over without second thought, while Leo stood still for a moment, trying to connect the real reason as to why Mikey always  _insisted_ on coming to the pizzeria at 9:54 pm sharp every day.

"Leo! Get over here!" Mikey huffed, sitting straight as Leo made his way to the table. "And... 9:54! Great!"

"Well, if it isn't my favorite band of brothers." a voice chuckled.

Mikey looked up to the waiter, who was none other than Character. The Yokai smiled, holding back a snirk as he got a lopsided puppy smile in return from Mikey.

"I'm assuming that it's the usual?" Character inquired.

"I don't see any reason to change it." Leo replied.

"A man of consistency. I like." Character chimed, pointing his pen at Leo, who sent finger guns back.

"Eh, I like to switch things up now and then, but it's better to have things... controlled." Leo hummed.

"Isn't that the truth." Character sighed, fist bumping Leo before leaving the table to put in the orders.

Leo turned his focus to his phone, looking over a few texts he'd been sharing with April, before grunting in response to being hit in the head with a fork. Leo cursed sharply, gripping his head, and looking to the culprit who'd thrown the fork. Which was Mikey.

"What was  _that_ for?!" Leo asked.

The Box Turtle said nothing, he only snorted before leaning back and pouting. Leo gave a confused look, before jumping slightly as his phone went off. A quick glance at his messages, and Leo immediately knew that this was going to be an "Over-the-Phone Big Brother Conversation," something that Raph, Donnie, and Leo made up so that they could discreetly talk when they knew something was up with their baby brother.

_Donatello: So, who did what, and why?_

_Raph-Man: I didn't do anything. Leo?_

_Neon Leon: Nothing here. That I know of, anyways._

_Donatello: What should we do?_

_Neon Leon: We could ask._

_Raph-Man: He'll just evade the topic. We'll have to keep watching._

_Donatello: Wait, didn't he throw that fork after that Yokai left? Like, immediately after_ _?_

_Raph-Man: Oh yeah! Do you think Mikey's mad at the waiter?_

_Neon Leon: I doubt it. The waiter didn't do anything._

_Donatello: Well, Michael did start looking a bit triggered when Leo started to talk to the waiter._

_Raph-Man: So?_

_Donatello: So, do you think that could be a reason why he's mad?_

_Neon Leon: Don, no offense, but it sounds like you're starting to think that Miguel's jealous._

_Donatello: Maybe he is!_

_Raph-Man: But why? It's Mikey! He isn't really one to get jealous for no reason!_

_Donatello: Good point. Maybe we should-_

"Alright boys! I've got your pizzas!" Character announced, a frown appearing as he noticed how down Mikey had become. "Hey, what's wrong little buddy?"

Mikey turned his head, fiddling with his spoon in angered disinterest. There was no way that Mikey was going to talk to Character anymore! Character was  _cheating_ on Mikey! With  _Leo!_ That was unforgiveable! It was the ultimate betray! Nothing could fix this! Not even a 5 liter Bepis!

"Mikey? Are you alright?" Character asked, kneeling down next to Mikey. "Hold on. I see the problem! You don't have a fork! Now, that is just awful! How could someone be so evil?!"

Raph smiled warmly, looking to Donnie and Leo. Neither looked back, as they were too invested in the situation.

"Here, how about I get you a new fork? After that, I'll go and scold the person who gave you an incomplete ambience! Yeah?" Character suggested.

Mikey giggled, nodding. Character smiled in response, patting Mikey's head and standing, walking away to do as he'd promised. Mikey blushed lightly, grabbing his phone and resting his head on one hand. A few seconds on his phone was all that Mikey could pull off, before a long sigh of twitterpation escaped his lips.

_Neon Leon: HOLY CARP! DID YOU BOIS SEE THAT?!_

_Donatello: YES! WE HAVE EYES!_ _THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!_

_Raph-Man: Guys, calm down! I think it's cute that Mikey has a crush!_

_Donatello: CUTE?! That Yokai is way too old_ _for Michael! There isn't any reason for our baby brother to even have a crush!_

_Neon Leon: Exactly! Mikey's just a baby! That Yokai has to be at least 45,000 years old!_

_Raph-Man: Leo..._

_Neon Leon: Okay, fine. I know that he's 22, but, still! Mikey's still just a baby!_

_Raph-Man: Boys, Mikey's 13, and his birthday isn't too far away. I think it's good for him to start having crushes! It'll help him get to know what he likes in a partner!_

_Donatello + Neon Leon: ARE YOU SICK IN THE HEAD?!?!?!?_

_Neon Leon: Mikey doesn't need to know "what he likes in a partner"! He won't need to know that information until we're dead!_

_Donatello: Well, that seems a bit extreme, but, yes, Michael is still too young to be wanting to search for acceptable mate qualities._

_Raph-Man: I'm starting to get a sense of overprotection coming from you two._

_Donatello: There is nothing overprotective about wanting our baby brother to stay focused on family for as long as possible._

_Neon Leon: Yeah, what he said._

_Raph-Man: Boys, look, we don't even know if this crush theory is true. We'll just have to wait it out._

_. . ._

_Raph-Man: BOYS!_

_Donatello + Neon Leon: FINE!_

The three elder brothers then placed their phones down, watching Mikey intensely as they ate. Mikey said nothing, smiling up at his brothers every now and then, before returning his focus to his food. Raph beamed with pride. Mikey was starting to become a mature young man, and no matter what Donnie and Leo said, the young teen was more than ready to start looking for what he wanted romantically. In Raph's opinion, anyways. Donnie and Leo obviously had different views on the matter.

"So, Michael, what do you think about our waiter?" Donnie inquired, somehow managing to pull off his normal, nonchalant disposition.

"He's nice." Mikey replied simply.

"Yeah he is. I wonder if he's single." Leo chimed, gaining Mikey's immediate attention.

"I'd assume so. I didn't see any ring action on his finger." Donnie hummed. "I also may or may not have heard him being hit on by another female Yokai."

"Oh? What'd he say?" Leon asked.

"He said that he was interested in males. The other Yokai was pretty chill about that, though." Donnie answered.

"Hmm, I guess that makes him fair game~" Leo chuckled.

"You thinking of asking?" Donnie inquired.

"Maybe. Not too sure just ye-"

_DING!_

Donnie and Leo checked their phones, both sighing childishly at the sight of what they'd been sent.

_Raph-Man: You two had better stop it!_

_Neon Leon: Chillax bro! We're just joking!_

_Donatello: Yes, the classic "Fake Interest in Another's Crush" sort of deal._

_Raph-Man: Well then, Mr. Slick and Mr. Plan, maybe you should take a look at your "another" for a quick second._

Donnie and Leo did so, almost breaking at the sight of Mikey, who was silently crying. Leo placed his phone down, fiddling his fingers together for a minute.

"Miguel, don't be upset. We were just joking around." Leo assured, reaching his arm out to gently touch Mikey's arm.

"No you weren't! You were just rubbing it in my face!" Mikey sobbed.

"Rubbing  _what_ in your face?" Raph asked.

"The fact that he's the one that Character's cheating on me with!" Mikey accused.

The others silenced for a bit, before bursting into laughter. Donnie tried to stifle his laughter by placing a hand on his mouth, but failed miserably, leaning against Leo as a form of support. Leo slammed his fists on the table, almost falling out of the booth as he tried to move and get air. Raph covered his eyes, feeling a bit bad for being so insensitive.

"Stop laughing at me!" Mikey whined, crossing his arms. "Cheating on someone isn't a laughing matter!"

That only made the others laugh harder, and they had to force themselves to stop, so as to not draw more attention to themselves. Raph assured the customers that the brothers were okay, and looked back to his younger brothers.

"Mikey, I'm sure that the waiter isn't cheating on you. There isn't even anything romantic going on between you two." Raph snickered, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Yes there is! He always talks to me really nice, and he always tells me jokes!" Mikey retorted.

"Miguel, the guy is nice to everyone. And he jokes around with all of the customers." Leo said, a greatly amused smile on his face.

"No! You guys are just trying to make me break up with him!" Mikey huffed.

"Uhh, is this a bad time?" Character asked, having walked up to the booth in response to a complaint about the table.

"No, everything's fine." Raph replied.

"How much of that did you hear?" Leo inquired.

"All I heard, was the kid talking about how you're trying to make him break up with someone." Character responded.

"Great! Now you're making him feel all embarrassed about being with me!" Mikey sobbed, standing up and hugging Character.

The Yokai looked to Mikey's brothers, puzzled, and a bit concerned. Donnie shook his head, mouthing a 'Just go with it,' and sighing. Character nodded, placing a reassuring hand on Mikey's head.

"Mikey...? What uh... what are you talking about?  _Sweetheart...?"_   Character asked, feeling a bit odd.

"My brothers are trying to deny our love!" Mikey replied.

"Okay...? Well then. Maybe you should just ignore them? I mean, maybe they're just... overprotective?" Character muttered.

"Really?" Mikey asked softly, looking up to Character with the saddest of puppy eyes.

Dear lord, this was adorable.

"Of course! They just... they're your big brothers! They want you to be safe!" Character replied, becoming more and more uncomfortable as he continued to humor this crush.

"Exactly! We're just looking after you! We would never try to take someone as important as Character away from you!" Leo announced.

"You wouldn't?" Mikey gasped, smiling at his brothers' nods. "Okay then! I forgive you guys! Same time tomorrow, Character?"

Character groaned, swearing that he would be as pale as a ghost if he were human.

"Actually, Mikey, we're going to be having Pho for dinner tomorrow." Raph chimed.

Mikey whined, but decided that it would be best to not complain any further. With a sigh, Mikey pulled away from Character, placing a kiss on Character's hand, and sauntering away, stating that he'd see Character later. When the young teen disappeared, Character turned his neck to look at the others so fast, that one could have  _sworn_ to have heard his bones crack.

"Look, I'm sure that this will pass in a few days." Leo sighed.

"And what am I supposed to do during that time? Look, he's cute, he really is, but-"

"We know. Age gap, maturity gap, morality gap. Can you just play through for however long this goes?" Donnie asked.

"Why would I-"

"We'll pay you $300 for every time he claims to be your boyfriend." Raph offered.

"Deal." Character replied, shaking hands with the three older brothers.

This deal was mainly made, because of how sure the others were that this little crush would go away in a week or two.

It didn't.

It had gone on for about three months now.

And it was  _still. Going._

"Holy Pizza Supreme, you're crushing us dry, Miguel..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mikey: Hey Character, how's it going?
> 
> Character: Mikey, how did you get my number?
> 
> Mikey: Don't worry about that! Just be glad that I'm calling! It's the least I could do as your boy-
> 
> Character: I'M NOT YOUR BOYFRIEND!
> 
> (Had to add that Chowder reference)


	19. Talk About Deep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, maturity is a good virtue, until it almost completely changes the sibling you've gotten used to for your whole life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little heads up: Since I want to stay somewhat symmetrical to the show itself, I'm going to be shifting and changing brand and celebrity names for every chapter that includes them. Just thought you should know.

Mikey pursed his lips. He truly hadn't noticed the shift in sound of his voice at first, mainly because he wasn't paying attention to it. Now that he was, however, Michelangelo was starting to catch the subtle differences in how it felt to talk. This was weird. Mikey's new voice honestly didn't seem to fit him all that well. It made Mikey sound like a tiny version of Dwayne "The Tiger" Joseph. The shift in Mikey's voice started not even five hours ago, and it nearly made him jump out of his shell. How horrifying it was to wake up, and be met with the voice similar to that of a famous actor.

"I feel really weird now. But I also kind of feel like a superhero! Halt, Thief!" Mikey shouted, hopping off of his hammock, and into a stereotypical superhero position. "Dwayne "The Tiger" Joseph has entered the building!"

A giggle escaped Mikey, and it turned into full-blown  _cackling_ at the deep sound. Everything that escaped Mikey's mouth was now out of character. Speech, laughter, yawning, singing, screaming, and anything else Mikey could possibly do. There were so many ways that this new voice was going to change Mikey's life. Mainly his family dynamic.

"What will the others think of this?" Mikey whispered, gasping as he suddenly got a delicious idea. "I'm gonna screw around with them until they try to kill me~"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Got any fours?"

"Go Fish."

April groaned as she reached into the small pile of cards in the middle of the circle that she and the three older turtles had made. Nothing had been happening so far, on that Saturday morning, so, April decided to visit the turtles, initiating a "brutal" game of Go Fish to pass the time. The game started off as somewhat boring, but somehow managed to get interesting and pretty intense as soon as Leo proved to have an impressive poker face. Add on to the fact that Leo was good at deception, and the older teens had a game to remember on their hands.

"Have you guys seen Mikey this morning? I expected him to say hi when I got here." April asked as she pulled out her card.

"He's been in his room all morning." Raph replied, studying his cards and trying to come up with a plan to take out Donnie, who most likely had every possibility and strategy planned out and accounted for.

"I can go get him if you want." Leo offered, leaning back casually.

"No need, elder brother! I have decided to join my family in this competitive event!" Mikey announced, deep voice making the others stiffen almost instinctually. "So, whose turn is it?"

The group turned to look at Mikey with wide eyes, trying to keep themselves from backing away from the tiny turtle, so as to not hurt his feelings. Leo glanced to Donnie, who immediately knew what was needing to be said.

"Michael? When... when did your voice get so...  _deep?"_ Donnie inquired, shuddering as he finished his sentence.

"My voice is deeper? Huh. I hadn't noticed." Mikey replied, looking down at the stack of cards and drawing one, studying the card intensely.

Leo gulped, unsure of how to react to this. On one hand, this was his baby brother, and Leo would still view Mikey as such. Just a baby. But, with this deep voice, and completely different attitude, the Slider was having a hard time believing that fact as much as he used to.

"Did I interrupt your game? My apologies! I'll just join the next round!" Mikey apologized, scooting back and sitting straight, a polite smile on his face. "Don't mind me. Just return to your fun and games."

Okay. NO.

"Mikey, stop talking like that." Leo ordered, not thinking about the logical aspect of his words.

"Like what, dear brother? Does my new voice upset you? I didn't think that it would..." Mikey replied, false tears pricking at the edge of his eyes. "Oh, I probably sound like a  _freak_ now! You all hate me now! I just  _know it!"_

"What?! Mikey, we don't hate you! We could never hate you!" Raph chimed, moving forward and placing a comforting hand on Mikey's shoulder.

"You really mean that?" Mikey asked, sniffling.

"Of course." Raph whispered, wiping a tear away.

Mikey smiled, sighing happily as he received a hug from April. Donnie joined the hug in an awkward attempt at comfort. Leo simply watched for a few seconds, and gave in not too long after, joining the hug and huffing. Mikey smirked, sending a mischievous glance to the side.

"So, why do you think my voice is like this?" Mikey asked, pulling away from the hug.

"Well, there's no other way to explain other than saying that you're getting farther into the stages of pub-"

"Don't finish that sentence! Mikey is a baby, and will forever remain that way!" Leo hissed.

"Leon, don't be so childish. Mikey, like every living creature, is growing up. You just have to accept that." Donnie sighed.

"NO! Mikey is the best baby in the world! He doesn't need to grow up! He needs to stay the little bean he's always been!" Leo shouted.

Donnie rolled his eyes, and April giggled. Raph smiled lightly, looking to Mikey, who was holding back a loud laugh.

"Leonardo, I can assure you that I will forever be your most favorite baby brother." Mikey assured, grunting as he was suddenly punched in the throat. "AGH! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!"

Mikey then paused, processing what he'd just said, and how he'd said it.

"LEO! What did you do to me?!" Mikey squeaked.

"I brought your voice back!" Leo cheered, ignoring the shocked looks he was getting from the others. "And for doing so, I will celebrate thusly!"

"I bet you will." Donnie muttered, watching Leo stand.

"...HIT OR MISS, I GUESS I NEVER MISS, HUH?! YOUR VOICE WAS BRO-KEN, BUT NOW I GOT IT FIXED, YEA!"

Raph, Donnie, and April screamed, tackling Leo to the floor, and leaving Mikey to cough. Leo had- most likely unintentionally -punched Mikey in the throat with enough force to knock out a Tasmanian Devil. With a groan, Mikey cleared his throat, massaging it before sighing.

"Dang it Leo..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who doesn't love old, stupid memes?
> 
> Also: I DARE YOU to look at Mikey and imagine him having Dwayne Johnson's voice. It'll be weird. Trust me.


	20. Spirit of a Gemini

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gemini: A Creative, Outgoing, Excitable, and Independent Star Sign. They thrive on frequent adventure, and do not take kindly to boring activities. Keeping a Gemini in routine, is like caging a puppy and hoping it will train itself to be still.
> 
> In summary, if you ever want to keep a Gemini close, make sure to give them room to go off on their own for a bit, and return when they're ready. Otherwise, you might rub them the wrong way, and they may just go off and never come back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, to know that Mikey acknowledges his Star Sign is everything to me. ^v^
> 
> Also, the concept of Mikey being on his own like this is my legit poison.

Mikey sighed, looking out over the horizon of a beautiful sunset. The brothers had made their way out of the lair, and had decided to simply enjoy the cool, New York air. Moments like these were what Mikey truly enjoyed. The feeling of air against his scales, the strong scents of heart stopping foods, and the loud sounds of traffic and screaming humans. Sure, it wasn't as great as being in the forest, surrounded by puppies, but it was better than the almost deafening "silence" that rang throughout the lair. A soft tap on his shoulder drew Mikey out of his thoughts, and he smiled in response to being pet on the head, a reassuring hint in the gesture.

"What's on your mind, bud?" Raph asked.

"Nothin'. I'm just enjoying the air." Mikey replied, looking farther out into the city.

Raph smiled, turning and walking away from his baby brother. With another sigh, Mikey lowered his head a bit, a sudden word flying through his mind...

 _Freedom_.

The one thing that almost every wild animal, and Gemini spirit craved. The want of said freedom had increased over the past few days, ever since Mikey's- honestly failed -attempt of going on his first solo mission. Of course, Raph would now most likely keep more than a sharper eye on Mikey, and this put a strong, almost  _chokehold_ sort of chain around Mikey's sense of independence. The day's horoscope had read that Mikey would experience a renaissance of freedom, but, with the way the day had gone so far, the horoscope seemed to be turning into less of a fortune, and more of a soft-headed teen's dream.

"Go." Donnie suddenly whispered.

Mikey looked up to his genius brother with confused excitement. A nod was sent in Mikey's way, and he trilled before looking to Raph and Leo. Raph was looking away from his younger brothers, obviously a bit unnerved by what he was about to allow his baby brother to do. Leo simply smiled, adding on another nod. A slight bout of panting then escaped Mikey, and Raph turned to look at his brother.

"Look, you know that I didn't mean to make you upset." Raph started, finally deciding to move towards Mikey.

The young turtle growled in response, snout curling up as he started to back away, looking behind himself to make sure that he wasn't about to take a misstep and fall off the building. Raph put his hands out in defense, slowing his steps, and putting on the softest look he could.

"Mike, I just want you to be safe. Could you at least promise me to be back soon?" Raph asked, holding back a few tears as Mikey's pupils changed into slits. "Please, Mikey. Don't do something you might regret."

"Raph, just give him his freedom." Leo advised softly, stepping in front of the Snapper.

Raph sighed, nodding and stopping his movements. At that, Mikey's growling stopped, and he looked at his brothers with one last glance, before becoming spooked by a sound, and racing off. Once he was gone, Raph fell onto his knees, sobbing and leaning into the hugs that he was being offered by the twins.

"He'll be back, you just have to let him come back in his own time." Donnie whispered.

"And how long is that supposed to be?" Raph hissed, teeth bared.

"As long as he needs. You've seen how jumpy he's been, and we all know how he gets about the whole "Star Sign" thing. He needs his freedom, and having us protecting him for his whole life is taking that freedom away from him." Leo explained.

A long, frustrated sigh escaped from Raph, and he nodded. The twins helped Raph up, and walked him back to the lair. Despite the elder not knowing, however, Donnie and Leo were just as worried about Mikey obtaining so much freedom.

But they knew that it was for the best that they offered it to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it was a big step for Raph to finally let Mikey go off on his own! Even though most of this big step was accredited to Donnie and Leo. I like to wonder, though, judging from the newer episode "Late Fee," Mikey does like focus on Star Signs.
> 
> Now, with the information that Mikey was born in June, and that he truly is a Gemini, this lets us know that he follows multiple Gemini traits, according to what we've seen from the show so far. With this being the case, we can conclude that Mikey is going to want more freedom as the show goes on, thus leading to him being taken under Leo's wing.
> 
> This makes sense if you think about it. Leo is a free spirit, and understands his baby brother, knowing who Mikey is as a teenager, and grasping the concept of Mikey wanting to have his own personal adventures. Now, obviously, Leo is going to be on alert when Mikey goes off on his own, but it's more than likely that he'll show more trust.
> 
> I personally hope that there will be a moment in which Leo is forced to protect Leo in a more animalistic manner (RotTMNT please do this), leading to an all new chapter in the family dynamic. What would this lead to, though? Would Mikey and Donnie still be the close-knit B-Team they always were, or would Mikey start going to Leo for advice and companionship? There could be multiple ways this could go down, and there are way too little characters for my rambling to go on too much longer. So, take this preview to what could be an introduction to the brothers' new life. Still, you gotta remember: it's just a theory!
> 
> A I'M SO H*CCIN ANALYTICAL THEORY! X3


	21. The Case File

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The girl was exercising with Kobe! Two things that make her happy! When the brain is happy, it releases Endorphins, which makes the person happy! Happy people don't knock their best friends unconscious!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's see who can guess the reference.

"Hold on... if she was  _here_ when the kid found her, then why does the mother claim to have last seen her at her house? There's no way!" Mikey mused, tapping the eraser of a pencil against his chin.

Something wasn't right about this case he had snooped around in, which was part of a game that April had brought in. According to the information, a young woman was found unconscious, and with serious injuries in her supposed best friend's house. The best friend's young son had found the woman in their bathroom, and his mother was claiming that she last saw the woman when walking the woman's dog back home.  _However_ , the woman didn't have a key to her best friend's house! Someone  _must have_ let in the woman for her to get in the bathroom!

"It just doesn't add up. Woman, your best friend's alibi is starting to look a bit shady." Mikey muttered, looking over the writing.

Mikey curled his snout in frustration, harshly pressing his pencil against the small table in front of him. He just  _had_ to be missing something! This woman trusted her best friend with her life, and the best friend was saying that she was just as terrified to find the woman!

"Come on! This  _can't_ be all of the information! There has to be  _something else!"_   Mikey shouted, looking over the fake Case File.

"Something else to what?" Raph asked, sitting next to his baby brother.

"This case! A young woman named Katie was found in her best friend's bathroom, knocked unconscious. The best friend's son found Katie, and now Katie's best friend is claiming to not have known about it! Now, it would make sense,  _if_ Katie had owned a key to her best friend's house, but she  _didn't!_ That means that someone must have let Katie into the house! However, Katie's best friend is claiming to have been playing with Kobe! And to top that with a cherry, her son was supposedly with a friend!" Mikey explained, leaning back and growling.

Raph hummed, picking up the information on the make-believe character. It seemed standard, a 26 year old woman named Katie House. She lived with her dog Kobe, and her boyfriend, Jack Staples. Katie's best friend- who was unnamed for "protection" -lived right next door to Katie, and they were known for going around town with each other almost all of the time. Katie was active, and loved to exercise with Kobe and her best friend. They could be seen running around their neighborhood for about two hours a day.

"Wow." Raph muttered.

"What?" Mikey asked sharply.

"This girl has some pretty big achievements. Winner of multiple races, known by almost everyone in the community, loving family. Lemme see the rest of the case file." Raph replied, grabbing the remaining file and putting on a face of confusion. "This doesn't say anything about her boyfriend."

Mikey's eyes widened, and he grabbed the file, looking back over every detail of information.

"THAT'S IT! Katie and her best friend are notoriously known for running around the neighborhood with Kobe at 3:43 sharp, every day! On this day, however, it was just the best friend and Kobe! Katie's best friend had claimed that Jack told her that Katie would join them later! When the best friend got back, she had to have let the son in, who returned at approximately the same time she did! That means that it  _couldn't have_ been the best friend!" Mikey explained.

"And... why not...?" Raph asked.

"Because! She was running with Kobe! Two things that make her happy! When the brain is happy, it releases Endorphins, which makes the _person_ happy! Happy people don't knock their best friends unconscious! And, since Katie's best friend most likely had to deliver Kobe back home, that meant she had to have went back to Katie's house! YES! When she went to take Kobe back, Jack must have answered the door, and Katie's best friend must have saw Katie somewhere on the couch! At that point, Katie must have already been unconscious! So, when Katie's best friend went home, Jack must have snuck out of the back while the best friend was getting her son from his friend's mother! After that, he must have snuck through a window, or the back door, which Katie's best friend remembers not locking! CASE SOLVED! Jack knocked Katie unconscious after a fight, and didn't want anyone getting suspicious, so he made up a lie, and waited until he _knew_ that Katie's body would be found! That way, Katie's best friend would be blamed, and he wouldn't have to serve a sentence!"

Raph sat in shock, looking to the side and gulping. Had the Snapper known about Mikey's apparently _excellent_ problem solving skills, then he would have stopped his cookie stealing habit a while ago.

"Well then... I'm glad that you solved the case, bud..." Raph chuckled.

"Yeah! Now, with that out of the way, I have a case from dad. He put me up to finding out who keeps stealing his cookies!" Mikey announced.

Raph was up and away in not even three seconds, leaving Mikey to shrug, looking over his given evidence and humming. Crumbs were always found round the same area, in a large circle. The thief most likely had to be a messy eater, so that put the twins in the clear. Mikey most obviously wasn't the thief, and neither was April. Which left only one obvious culprit...

"RAPH, YOU'RE GOIN' TO JAIL!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Detective Mikey is on the case. ;3


	22. Belly Rubs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since when do Box Turtles act like doggos?

"Guys, I just found the cutest thing in the world, and it involves Mikey."

Raph, Donnie, and Leo all looked to April with slight disinterest. It wasn't difficult to say that Mikey in himself was adorable, but for someone to claim that every new thing to them was cute, just got plain boring. April crossed her arms, a bit surprised by the others' lack of mutual excitement.

"Boys-"

"Look, April, I'm sure that whatever this is will be cute, but we're not really surprised by this. Mikey is always doing something that could be considered cute." Leo interrupted, turning his attention to a Jupiter Jim comic he was reading.

"Precisely. Besides, there's no doubt that we'll find out what this is on some other day." Donnie added.

"Fine. If you don't wanna watch Mikey freak out over a belly rub, then I'll just go keep it to myself." April remarked.

"Belly rubs, you say?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy?" April giggled as she scratched and tickled Mikey's plastron.

The young Box Turtle trilled and squeaked, left leg kicking excitedly. Raph and Leo looked on with great amusement, holding back loud laughs. Meanwhile, Donnie was writing down notes, most likely to study why Mikey was exhibiting such doglike behaviour. A nudge from Leo stopped Donnie's scientific track of mind, and the Softshell huffed, putting his notepad down and crossing his arms, joining in with the stifled laughter.

"This is honestly too much." Leo chuckled.

"Yes. First this, and then the wagging of the tail." Donnie joked, stooping down and placing a hand next to April's, lightly scratching at Mikey's plastron. "It's like scratching a smooth piece of cardboard."

"Really? I wanna try!" Leo chimed, getting onto his knees and taking April's place. "It  _is!_ That's so  _weird!"_

"Boys, you're treating Mikey like a dog! Cut it out!" Raph groaned.

"Aww!" the twins whined, backing away from Mikey.

After they did so, Mikey came out of his dog-state, rolling onto his plastron before sneezing.

"Gesundheit." Leo chimed.

"Ugh... what happened?" Mikey asked, sitting up.

"Nothing much. Just you acting like a little dog." April replied, patting Mikey's head.

"Why was I doing that?" Mikey inquired.

"Because we were scratching your belly." Leo answered.

"Belly rubs?! Why didn't you tell me your were gonna rub my belly?! I would have been so much cuter!" Mikey whined, giggling as he was pulled into a large family hug. "Belly rub hug time!"

"That's right buddy." Leo chimed, kissing Mikey's cheek.

"While we're on the topic; would you mind explaining to me why you react so well to belly rubs, Michael?" Donnie asked.

"Sure! It's because I like being like a little puppy sometimes!" Mikey responded.

"Okay." Donnie muttered, realizing that he was going to have to take the scientific approach to this situation after all.

Perfect...


	23. Teary Eyed Teen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey is too sensitive and adorable for his own good.

Soft sniffles echoed through the lair, grasping the attention of a certain blue banded Slider, who sat up from his position on his bed instinctually. The sniffles continued, and Leo stood, anxiously walking towards the sound, a look of worry crossing his features as he saw his baby brother on the living room floor, whimpering and sobbing near silently. Now that he was up close, Leo realized that he was the only who had appeared, meaning that Leo was the only one who had heard Mikey's crying.

Talk about on point.

"Hey, what's wrong Miguel?" Leo asked, sitting next to Mikey.

Mikey moved his hand up to Leo, revealing a small paper cut on his hand. This drove Leo to hold back a snicker, which became easier as he realized how much pain the tiny cut was producing. Funny how Mikey could handle bruises and cuts from fights with bad guys, but he burst into tears after stubbing his toe, or hitting his elbow on something.

"Aww. I'm sure that hurts. Want a band-aid?" Leo offered, smiling at the nod he received.

"I want Spiderman." Mikey sniffled, calming down only slightly as a Spiderman band-aid was placed over his injury.

"Feel better?" Leo asked quietly.

"Yeah." Mikey replied, smiling and hugging Leo. "I feel strong!"

Leo smiled widely, tightening his hold briefly for a second.

"That's all that matters." Leo whispered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"But, I want the orange one!" Mikey whined, tugging on Donnie's arm.

"I don't care. You'll take what you can get." Donnie huffed, shoving a small, yellow bear into Mikey's arms. "I swear, you can't be grateful for anything."

Mikey frowned, looking at the bear he'd received, and beginning to tear up. With a small sniffle, Mikey watched as Donnie paid for the toy, before the two left the toy store. The walk home was silent, and Mikey held the bear with one hand, trying desperately to find the motivation to hug the bear, but receiving none. Donnie's words had hurt, but Mikey didn't tell the Softshell. It was better to try and be an adult in situations like this.

And adults don't cry over not getting the stuffed animal they want.

"We're home! Take your toys." Donnie announced, parting from Mikey.

"Yes! Blue bear!" Leo cheered.

"Red fits you so well!" Raph shouted, hugging his respective bear close. "Huh, I thought you would have gotten an orange one. What made you get the yellow one, Mikey?"

"Oh! I just wanted to try something different!" Mikey replied, giving a slightly forced smile.

Raph and Leo shrugged, running off with their bears and making growling noises. Mikey sighed, walking to his room and sitting on his hammock. The small, yellow bear was sat down in front of Mikey, and he thought over the Life Colour traits of Yellows.  _Analytical, somewhat cynical, egotistical, Apathetic, talkative, comedian, out there._

"Alright. Let's see... so! How are you doing today, Mr. Bear?" Mikey asked, pouting as the bear immediately fell over. "You could have at least made a joke."

The bear just sat there. Unsurprisingly.

"Fine. I don't like you, but I'll have to make this work somehow. Donnie thinks that I'm ungrateful for stuff. I guess he has a point. I can be a bit of a baby sometimes. I cry over the smallest of things. But, can you blame me? I'm not strong like them! I don't wanna punch my anger away! I can't joke it away, and I'm sure not smart enough to science my way out of it! All I can do is cry!" Mikey shouted, lying down and beginning to do just that.

"Michael? Who are you talking to?"

"DEE! I didn't hear you come in!" Mikey squeaked, wiping his eyes.

"Uh-huh. My question still stands. Who are you talking to?" Donnie asked.

"...Yellow bear." Mikey replied, blushing lightly.

He wouldn't be blushing if his bear was orange.

" _Yellow?_ Why did you get a yellow bear?" Donnie inquired, perfectly aware of how Mikey felt about Life Colours.

"I didn't get it!  _You_ shoved it in my arms! Then you said that I couldn't be grateful for anything!" Mikey replied, beginning to cry once more.

"What? Why would I... oh cheese... Michael, I wasn't talking to you." Donnie sighed, scratching the back of his neck before snickering. "I was talking to Leo through an earpiece!"

"You were?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah! If I would have realized that I had grabbed the yellow bear, I would have put it down and gotten the right one!" Donnie chimed, deciding that it was his turn to be embarrassed. "I'd never say something like that to you."

"Never in ever?" Mikey whimpered.

"Never in ever in ever." Donnie replied, bumping his forehead against Mikey's briefly. "I'm sorry."

Mikey said nothing, he simply grabbed the bear, and slapped Donnie across the face. The Softshell cursed, but didn't do anything else negative.

"Alright, I admit, I deserved that." Donnie muttered. "How about we go and get you the right bear, yeah?"

"Yeah! We're coming to rescue you orange bear!" Mikey cheered, pulling Donnie out of the lair.

Once they returned to the toy store, Mikey grabbed the right bear, and giggled all the way home. Donnie smiled, accepting the quick brotherly peck he received, and watching Mikey race off to find Raph and Leo.

"Now, all is right." Donnie chimed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm not a baby! I can take care of myself!" Mikey whined, huffing as he was dressed in a cutesy raincoat.

"Mikey, no matter how big of a man you think you are, you can still get pneumonia, and I refuse to be the reason for that. It's always adult-like to practice good health." Raph chided, buttoning the last button on Mikey's raincoat.

"You're starting to sound like Donnie! Besides, I won't get sick! I'm a turtle! Water doesn't make us sick!" Mikey confidently chimed.

"Keep this up, and I won't let you come with us at all." Raph warned.

"Y'know, the more I think about it, this raincoat is pretty lit." Mikey hummed, eyes sparkling with their typical curious and childlike hue.

Raph chuckled, standing up, turning around and putting a raincoat of his own on, pausing when he heard the shifting of rubber. Raph turned, frowning at the sight of Mikey tossing his raincoat on the floor.

"It fell off." Mikey fibbed.

"Uh-huh." Raph sighed, grabbing the coat, and putting it back on Mikey. "Keep it on."

"Okay Raphie!" Mikey giggled, waiting for Raph to turn around again, before taking the raincoat off once more.

Raph growled, grabbing the coat, and forcing it back onto his brother, muttering under his breath about how this was getting tedious. Mikey smiled widely, sitting still, and waiting once more for Raph to turn around, before taking the raincoat off. Raph screamed, drawing a playful laugh out of Mikey, who doubled over and giggled like a happy baby. This, of course, melted Raph's heart, and the Snapper chuckled, before pleading for Mikey to keep the raincoat on this time. Mikey nodded, doing as told, and happily hopping around in the rain puddles on the rooftops once the brothers escaped from the darkness of the sewers.

A few drops of water got in Mikey's eyes, and he whined every time he was splashed, but, other than that, he was as happy as could be. Which was not only good.

It was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let us cherish this.


	24. Annoyance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is nothing sweeter than the unwanted attention of a persistent- but adorable -baby brother.

"Hey Donnie? Can I play with-"

"No."

"But, what if I-"

"No."

"How about-"

"No."

"But  _Donnie!_ You never let me play with your stuff anymore!" Mikey whined, leaning against his genius brother.

"And why do you think that is, Michael?" Donnie inquired, typing away at his keyboard in an attempt to block out his baby brother's whining.

"Because you're mean." Mikey muttered, lightly slapping Donnie's cheek.

Donnie rolled his eyes, paying little to no more attention to Mikey. The young Box Turtle could be very annoying when he wanted to be, and Donnie was aware of that. Sure, at times it could be cute, but now, when Donnie was trying to make sure the city wasn't being attacked by villains, it was just simply annoying. No ifs ands or buts about it.

"Can I at least play on your tablet?" Mikey asked.

With no response, Mikey reached for the device, yelping as he was picked up and carried out of the lab.

"Stay." Donnie ordered, walking away from Mikey.

A huff escaped from Mikey, and he walked back into Donnie's lab, being carried right back out after doing so. This time, Donnie had handed Mikey a Rubik's Cube, stating that Mikey wasn't allowed to come back into the lab until the puzzle was solved. Lo and behold, Mikey solved the Rubik's Cube in under three minutes, which astonished Donnie. However, the Softshell still carried Mikey out, crossing his arms and tapping his foot.

Knowing what this meant, Mikey muttered, walking away from the lab, and returning right back as soon as Donnie went back in. Donnie groaned, shooing Mikey away, and complaining once Mikey returned. This process continued for around eight minutes, before Donnie all out  _screamed_ at Mikey for being annoying. At that, Mikey sniffled, retreating from the lab in a hurry.

Donnie sighed heavily, knowing that he had unintentionally hurt Mikey's feelings. Which could only mean one thing.

"Fine! Come here, you big baby!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"And if I put this one here, the monster gets his candy!" Mikey explained, introducing some strange game to Donnie.

The genius had forgotten the name of the game, but remembered that it was something along the lines of Rope Cut, or whatever. The only reason that Donnie was even listening to this explanation, was because of the quickly rising guilt that had bubbled in his stomach after chasing Mikey off. Now, the two were cuddled up next to each other on Splinter's couch.

"Mmhm. Interesting." Donnie murmured, losing interest in the game very quickly.

Mikey noticed this, and switched to another game, humming and grabbing Donnie's hand. This pulled Donnie out of his bored state, and the genius looked down at the tablet.

"How do I play this? I always keep losing." Mikey inquired.

"Oh! Sudoku!" Donnie chimed happily. "Yeah, I struggled a bit when I first played, as well."

"You did?" Mikey asked.

"No."

Giggles erupted from both brothers, and they cuddled closer to each other. The rest of the evening consisted of Donnie and Mikey talking about Sudoku, as well as how Mikey managed to solve the Rubik's Cube so quickly. Much to Donnie's dismay, Mikey had done nothing more, than take the stickers off each individual cube, and put them in respective places. This earned the small turtle a short scolding, but it was quickly forgotten, once Mikey brought up the process of turning metal to liquid.

"You see, the fire has to be at a specific heat, and must stay there in order for the metal to melt." Donnie explained,

"So, it has to be at a kajillion degrees?" Mikey asked.

Donnie let out a fond chuckle, pressing his cheek against Mikey's and sighing.

"I wouldn't say it has to be  _that hot_." Donnie replied.

"A billion!" Mikey gasped.

"No, not that hot either." Donnie hummed.

"Five million thousand billion!" Mikey shouted.

"Okay, now you're just making numbers up." Donnie remarked.

Mikey squealed lightly, nuzzling against Donnie's plastron and giggling.

"What are you doing in there? Come here, you little scoundrel!" Donnie playfully growled, tickling Mikey until they both couldn't breathe.

A yawn then broke through the laughter, and Donnie took no time to pick Mikey up, carrying Mikey into the lab, and sitting on a swivel chair.

"Now, I'm only doing this once." Donnie stated.

He said overconfidently, before allowing it to happen eighteen times more.


	25. Fears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Talk of fears only makes them worse, according to Mikey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brief Warning: Night terror(s) I guess(?)
> 
> I dunno, Mikey is technically being weird, just in a more psychological hurt/comfort way. I'll follow this chapter up with a big chapter of fluff to make up for the feels, I swear.

A scream. That's what rang throughout the lair, on a once peaceful New York night. There was no question as to who the scream came from, and there was no doubt as to why it had happened.

"This is the fifth nightmare that he's had,  _this week_. We really need to get to the bottom of this." Leo huffed, pulling his nightcap over his eyes. "I haven't gotten any sleep because of him."

"Leo, calm down. I get it, you're tired, we all are! But we can't just leave Mikey to handle himself. He isn't us." Raph reminded, placing a hand on Leo's shell.

"I  _know_ , but what I  _don't know_ , is how we're supposed to help him, when he refuses to tell us what the nightmares are about!" Leo responded, slamming his nightcap on the table.

Raph and the twins had met in the kitchen, so as to be ready when Mikey would most likely run out of his room to try and wake them up. As previously mentioned by Leo, these nightmares of Mikey's had been going on for five consecutive days, and no one knew what to do about it. The brothers had tried a range of options, from letting Mikey sleep with each of them individually, to reading Mikey bedtime stories and giving him milk, to offering him a reward for going to sleep, and even sitting in Mikey's room until he fell asleep.

"I'm not letting him sleep with me again. He sleeps like a kid on a sugar rush!" Leo announced.

"Hush! He's coming in." Donnie whispered sharply, he and the others silencing once Mikey walked into the kitchen.

"Did you have another nightmare, bud?" Raph asked softly.

Mikey nodded, but didn't say anything, nor did he sit down. The young teen simply walked towards the refrigerator, opened it, pulled out the milk, and walked back towards his room. Donnie and Leo looked to each other in befuddlement, unsure of what to make of what had just happened. Raph, meanwhile, sighed, standing up and following after Mikey. The twins did the same, all three of the older brothers stopping and standing in the entryway of Mikey's room. No one said a word, not even as Mikey chugged milk out of the entire carton, set it down, and settled himself into his hammock without doing anything else.

"Peculiar." Donnie muttered.

"What was that all about?" Leo whispered, looking from Donnie to Raph, and back to Donnie.

"I have a theory, but it may need a bit more observation before I can prove it." Donnie replied, trying desperately to go through possibilities of why this was happening.

"Donnie, I don't think it's fair to Mikey for us to let him continue having nightmares, while you try and prove some theory that might not be true." Raph chided.

"Ooh, being called out by ol' Raphie." Leo snickered, earning himself a smack on the face. "Ow."

A loud huff then drew all attention to Mikey. At first assumption, it seemed as if Mikey had simply taken a deep breath. Upon further examination, however, it could be seen that Mikey had waken up, looking around in panic. At first, it seemed as if Mikey couldn't see anything at all, and he continued to look around in panic, claws digging into his blankets as he tried to comprehend what he was actually being afraid of.

At that thought, a multitude of possibilities ran through Mikey's mind, and he whimpered, beginning to cry as he began to shake. Raph, nor the twins knew what to do, and stood in shock, before Mikey let out a bloodcurdling scream, thrashing his arms outwards, and falling onto the floor, curling in on himself and continuing to scream.

 _"NIGHT TERROR!"_   Donnie shouted, rushing into Mikey's room, and pulling the screaming teen into a comforting hug. "It's okay Mikey! Calm down! Wake up, Mikey!  _WAKE UP!"_

Raph and Leo suddenly snapped out of their shock, making their way towards Donnie, and trying to figure out what they should do.

"Give him room! This will most likely last for 10-30 minutes!" Donnie ordered, pushing Raph back.

" _What?!_ And you're just gonna let it happen?!" Raph asked loudly.

"There's nothing else that I _can_ do! Just make sure that he doesn't hurt himself! Leo! Get his legs!"

Leo followed the order, keeping a tight grip and trying to keep himself calm. Raph growled, but sat back, closing his eyes and attempting to block out the screams. Thankfully, the terror stopped at the 10 minute mark, and Mikey groaned before blinking, looking up to Donnie and whimpering in confusion.

"Why are we up so late?" Mikey asked.

Raph, Donnie, and Leo all sighed loudly in relief, surrounding Mikey and taking their turns to shower him in affection. Mikey blinked once more, not knowing how to react to the situation. Why were his brothers being so... for lack of a better word,  _weird?_ They hadn't done anything like this before. So, why now?

"It's okay. Just go back to sleep. We'll be here to watch you." Leo whispered.

At that, Mikey smiled, nuzzling closer to his "brother blanket," and immediately falling asleep.

"You still wanna know what he was dreaming about?" Leo asked.

"I... would rather not." Donnie admitted, being aware that he would most likely regret what he could learn. "Mikey's brain is a very convoluted place. Who knows what I'd find. It could be silly, or it could be absolutely terrifying."

"Eugh. Yeah, count me out of that too." Leo remarked, shuddering at the thought of Mikey's fears, which were most obviously something that should be taken seriously. "Maybe in another lifetime."

"Or not at all." Raph scoffed.

"Look, whether or not we find out, I think we can all agree that we shouldn't press Mikey to fess up. We're all aware of how he gets about this stuff." Donnie stated.

Raph and Leo nodded. Though, behind those nods, all three older brothers would be lying through their teeth if they said that they still weren't even a little curious about what had made Mikey go off...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Mikey whistled, pouring a cup of tea and smiling as he looked up, his land of pure imagination bringing soothing thoughts. All was good right now, but Mikey knew that things weren't going to stay this way. This was how all of his nightmares started off. Now, while it was true that Mikey could tell his brothers about the nightmares in detail, he found it difficult to do so, fearing that they would be too scared to help him. And he wouldn't be able to blame them._

_._

_._

_._

_Seeing your siblings in the hands of a Taxidermist is pretty terrifying indeed._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dang it Lee Hardcastle! Making me be inspired to do crap like this! Are you guys even okay with this occasional hurt/comfort stuff? If not, I can stop.


	26. Belief in the Unreal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Much to their father's delight, Mikey seems to still willingly accept the mystical aspects of the family's Japanese culture. Even at the age of Thirteen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the very beginning of the fic, the turtles will be much younger. Mikey will be six, the twins seven, and Raph eight.

"Alright, my sons. It is time for you to go to bed."

Three of Splinter's four sons whined loudly, while the youngest of them gasped happily, jumping up from his place on the living room floor, and rushing towards his father.

"Can you tell us about the Okami's Journey again, papa?" Mikey asked, eyes wide.

This earned a scoff from Leo. Mikey turned and sent a glare to his immediate older brother, sticking out his tongue and blowing a raspberry. Raph snickered in response, and Donnie simply rolled his eyes.

"Dad, do we  _really_ need to hear that story again? Mikey asks to hear it every other day!" Leo complained.

The young Slider had fairly recently made his stance on the family's Japanese culture very clear. He just didn't believe in anything that was told to them! There was no possible way that things like Kami, and Mother Spirits were real! Ghosts weren't real, Shape-Shifters weren't real, and the tale of Inari was most  _definitely_ not real!

"Now, Blue, stories are part of our Japanese culture. It makes us who we are, and speaks words of wisdom into our hearts." Splinter replied softly.

"Well, there  _is_ a flaw with that statement, father." Donnie remarked. "If the stories make us who we are, then why are _we_ not affected like the characters in them?"

"Yeah! What he said!" Leo shouted.

Splinter chuckled, shaking his head in amusement.

"Boys, you look too far into the logical aspects of our way of life. Mayhaps it would be better if I told the story of the Kami of  _Discipline_." Splinter warned, smirking as his sons raced to their shared room. "Now, I will only tell you this story once more."

Mikey nodded, and his brothers simply turned to go to sleep. With a low growl, Splinter began his story, paws rising and falling as he imitated the moves in which the Kitsune of his story made. Mikey watched with wide eyes, smile as large as his face appearing, and staying even after the story ended.

"It gets better every time." Mikey yawned, lying down and snuggling in between the twins.

"Heheh. Don't ever lose that train of thought, Orange." Splinter advised. "Always believe in that which your brothers can't..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mikey! Get down from there! You're gonna get hurt!" Raph shouted, visibly worried by Mikey's actions.

Michelangelo, who was now in his teenage years, walked along a balance beam that was sticking out of a building. His brothers had easily made their ways down, and were not-so-patiently waiting for Mikey to do the same. Funnily enough, though, Mikey was feeling silly, and decided to annoy his brothers a bit, by doing dangerously stupid things to prove that he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself.

"Raph, I'm  _fine!_ Look! I've been up here for four minutes now!" Mikey chimed, swinging his leg out and back on to the beam.

"Yeah, four minutes too many! I'm getting kinda bored!" Leo complained.

"I'm sorry! I can't hear you! I'm too high up!" Mikey teased, giggling and moving down at his brother's frustrated groans. "See? I'm fine."

Leo smirked, pulling Mikey into a headlock.

"You aren't fine now!" Leo shouted, he and Mikey falling to the ground.

"NO! Lemme go! You're squishing mah cheeks!" Mikey shouted, wiggling out of Leo's grasp.

The quartet of brothers then laughed lightly at the brotherly display, silencing at the sound of what seemed like a whisper. Mikey gasped, swearing that he knew what the brothers had just heard. Without a word, Mikey gripped Leo's arm, excitedly pulling the Slider away, Raph and Donnie speeding after them. The brothers ran for a good while, eventually ending up in the more woodsy area of New York. Looking around, Mikey smiled, getting onto his hands and knees, and crawling towards a bush.

"Shh..." Mikey whispered.

Raph, Donnie, and Leo glanced at each other, somewhat concerned about what was happening. Mikey then jumped into the bush, driving his brothers to scream and do the same, the three rolling down a sandy hill with shouts of terror. Mikey watched as his brothers finally came to the end of the hill, all three of them sitting up and spitting out sand.

"What was that for?!" Leo shouted.

"Shh! You'll scare her away!" Mikey whisper shouted.

"Scare  _who_ away?" Raph asked softly.

Mikey looked to his brothers, a familiar gleam in his eyes.

"Inari." was all that Mikey said, looking to the side before rushing off, the sound of water being ran through following Mikey's movements.

Raph, Donnie, and Leo groaned loudly, following after Mikey with unimpressed looks.

"It's been eight years! I thought he was over this!" Leo muttered.

"Well, he  _is_ Mikey. It would be unlike him to stop believing in something as mystical as Kami." Donnie replied.

"Hold up!" Raph shouted, stopping the twins. "He went through that tunnel."

"So?" Leo asked.

" _So_ , I can't fit through there! How am I supposed to go after you?!" Raph replied angrily.

"You don't have to! Inari's messenger is here, and said she would follow me through!" Mikey then chimed, crawling out of the tunnel, and shaking himself free of water.

"Miguel, this has to stop. You're  _thirteen!_ You should be over silly stories like this!" Leo growled.

"But-"

"Mikey, Leo has a point. You need to stop believing in falsehoods. They'll only get you in trouble." Donnie agreed.

"If that's the case, then how come the  _Yokai_ exist?!" Mikey asked loudly.

That shut his brothers up.

"Exactly! Y'know, you three should be a bit more open-minded when you hear about our culture! I personally think it's fascinating!" Mikey exclaimed.

"As do I, Mikey, but it has to be remembered: Monogatari wa jibun no kokoro no kanjō ni suginai." Donnie sighed.

"That's right! There is _no such thing_ as... Inari..." Leo paused, looking up in awe.

Donnie and Raph followed Leo's gaze, both nearly losing their breath at the sight of a beautiful white Kitsune. The Japanese Fox had red and black markings surrounding her eyes, and a downwards pointing, red needle-like symbol on her forehead. In her paws, was a beautiful, icy blue glowing orb.

"This is Eighth Messenger. She was sent to deliver news to us." Mikey announced, leading the Kitsune towards the others. "Eighth Messenger, these are my brothers."

The Kitsune huffed, her breath visible, even though it wasn't nearly as cold for that to be possible.

"They doubt my existence. And that of many other Kami." Eighth Messenger calmly stated.

"They think that it isn't possible." Mikey confirmed.

"A pity. Your father taught you much." Eighth Messenger hummed. "Not all, but much."

"This can't be! The ability for you to exist is completely implausible!" Donnie shouted, tugging at his bandana.

Eighth Messenger giggled, looking to Mikey and smiling. Mikey smiled back, accepting the brief kiss to his forehead.

"Teach them more." Eighth Messenger instructed, using one of her claws to trace her symbol on Mikey's forehead. "You will need it for the future of your journey."

After that, Eighth Messenger disappeared, no evidence of her ever being present. Raph, Donnie, and Leo all looked around frantically, trying to figure out what they had just witnessed. Meanwhile, Mikey was drawing in the sand, humming and waiting for his brothers to calm down. It took a few minutes, but the trio of alarmed older brothers finally calmed down enough to take note of Mikey's serenity.

"How did you know?" Raph asked.

"What do you mean?" Mikey responded. "Dad told me."

"Michael, that isn't a reasonable explanation." Donnie muttered.

"You see one of Inari's messengers right in front of you, and you  _still_ don't believe." Mikey remarked, genuinely amazed. "Maybe some tea will help."

"I don't think I'm in the mood for tea. I just need to sleep." Raph commented, holding his head in his hand.

"Same here." Leo agreed.

"Okay. That'll work too."

Mikey then stood, urging his brothers forward. The quartet made their way home, all sitting in the living room and processing their day. Nothing could have prepared any of the brothers for this. And the only reason that it happened...

"Was because you actually believed." Donnie whispered.

"Believing isn't always bad." Mikey pointed out, cuddling close to Donnie. "You just need to devote enough of that noggin to do so."

"Yeah right. It'll take  _all_ of my brain to believe that." Leo chuckled, plopping down across Donnie's lap. "Can you wipe my mind?"

"He'll do no such thing!" Mikey scoffed, lightly tapping Leo's head. "Now get some sleep."

The twins sighed, closing their eyes and doing just that. Mikey looked at Raph, who smiled with pride.

"You go, bud." Raph whispered before yawning, his own eyes closing.

Not too long after, Mikey followed suit, the quartet being left to move and shift in ways that seemed impossible for normal turtles. Then again, these weren't normal turtles. And none of them could ever believe in the impossible again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> Monogatari wa jibun no kokoro no kanjō ni suginai: The story is only your emotions


	27. Manners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Mikey doesn't get along with a friendly, talking cat the brothers encounter.

"This is  _awesome!_ The Hidden City is such a beautiful place!" Mikey gasped over his earpiece. "Are we finally gonna-"

"NO! The rule stays!" Raph replied through his own earpiece.

Mikey pouted, attention being drawn towards a giggle to his right. Looking in the direction of the sound, Mikey tilted his head in response to seeing a small, white cat. The creature purred, moving a paw over the patch of grass she was sat upon, and revealing a small, blue dragon. Mikey gasped. That was what he and his brothers were looking for!

But... why was it in the hands, er,  _paws_ , of this random cat? Mikey narrowed his eyes, refusing to move forward, despite his want to bring back the artifact. The cat mewed, pushing the artifact forward, and backing up. This, of course, was the cat's way of stating that she wanted peace. Mikey didn't care, though. For whatever reason, something didn't settle right with Mikey about this feline. Which was strange, even for him! Normally, Mikey was a playful and friendly turtle!

So, why wasn't Mikey wanting to make friends with  _this_ cat in particular?

"Mikey! Where are you?! We've had the guards on hold forever now!" Leo screamed through his earpiece, catching Mikey off guard.

"Guys! The dragon's not in the building! It's down here where I am!" Mikey shouted back, finger up to his earpiece.

"What?! That's absurd! That means that these guys... have no idea what we're talking about." Donnie muttered. "Hehe. Whoopsies."

Raph, Donnie, and Leo were then thrown from their positions among the guards of a club in the Hidden City. The three groaned, regaining themselves before standing and rushing towards Mikey. When they arrived, the trio of older brothers was surprised to find their baby brother, shell in the air, head tucked in, teeth bared, and claws tapping against the ground.

"Uhh... Donnie? What's...  _this whole situation?"_   Raph asked quietly.

"It's an instinctive defense strategy, with a bit of enhanced abilities, i.e. the raised shell, and bared teeth." Donnie replied.

"Why is he being so "defensive," exactly?" Leo inquired.

"I don't know! I wasn't here!" Donnie replied loudly.

Mikey then let out an aggressive hiss, backing towards his brothers and groaning.

"Well, someone sure has a temper." a voice chimed, the cat that had Mikey on edge appearing from the shadows. "Is he normally like this?"

"...The cat's talking."

"We can see that, Don."

"Shut up Leo."

"Why don't  _you_ shut up, smarty pants?"

Raph rolled his eyes, walking up to the cat calmly. Though, if he were being honest, Raph wanted to scoop the small creature up and cuddle her forever.

"Actually, no. Mikey's normally really friendly. Did you possibly do something that could have offended him?" Raph inquired.

"Not that I know of." the cat replied.

"Weird. I've never seen Mikey get this upset for no rea- where'd he go?"

The twins immediately ended their petty argument, looking around for their baby brother. No sight of Mikey was caught, and the rest of the turtles began to fear that Mikey had been taken. Or, even worse, that he had wandered off.

"Mikey? Mikey!" Raph shouted, humming in surprise as Mikey returned with a smile, a plate of funnel cake in his hands.

"Yeah Raph?" Mikey replied.

"Wait... but, weren't you just...?" Raph muttered, looking to Mikey, and then pointing to the cat.

As if on cue, Mikey hissed loudly, dropping his plate, getting down in a pouncing position, and stretching his claws out. Donnie then pulled out a notebook, jotting down how fast Mikey's transition in moods was.

"Interesting. I wonder what would happen if he pushed past his defensive restraint..." Donnie muttered.

"DONNIE! We aren't using Mikey to experiment, and we  _most certainly_ aren't going to let him maul some innocent animal!" Leo shouted.

"It was just a thought!" Donnie shouted back.

"Hey! Can we please continue this argument back at the lair? Mikey's lookin' a bit... not Mikey." Raph huffed.

The twins nodded. The three older brothers then said their goodbyes, before- carefully -grabbing Mikey, blindfolding him, and carrying him home.

"So, wanna tell us why you were so angry at that cat?" Leo asked.

"What cat? There wasn't a cat." Mikey replied, sticking a lollipop in his mouth. "I was angry 'cause of the politics."

"...WUT?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was gonna happen eventually. One of the chapters just ending with no explanation whatsoever. :3


	28. Bite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey gets bitten by a vampire. Training of self-control ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mikey's bat form is a Flying Fox. Because those bois are adorable.

Nervous glances from left to right, and gentle, almost eerily silent steps were what drove Michelangelo towards his room. The young ninja in training had snuck out of the lair after his brothers had fallen asleep, and was now sneaking back in, under dire circumstances.

You see, once Mikey had made his way out of the sewers, he had accidentally bumped into what he thought was just a scary human. In a frenzy, Mikey screamed, falling onto the ground, and backing away. The "human" did nothing, he simply stared at Mikey, unfazed by seeing a huge turtle on the street. Upon realizing this, Mikey stood, eyes never reaching the "human's," and feet fiddling around. Silence ensued, and Mikey then turned to try and leave, tensing and whimpering once he felt a hand on his shoulder. The "human" then made a comment about Mikey being pretty, before digging what could only be called his  _fangs_ into Mikey's neck. This earned a scream of pain, and Mikey fell to the ground.

Minutes later, Mikey woke up, surrounded by what seemed like other "humans" like the one he'd encountered. Mikey groaned, sitting up, and shaking his head, placing his hand on his neck, which had started to hurt like  _Hell_. Once his hand reached his neck, Mikey gasped upon feeling two distinctive  _bite marks_. Gasping quickly, Mikey looked around, catching sight of a puddle, and rushing towards it. Mikey then looked in the puddle, expecting to see his reflection, and screaming as he was met with nothing.

The "humans" which were now most obviously vampires, chuckled, each of them bidding Mikey farewell, before turning into bats and flying off. Mikey whimpered, scrambling to his feet, and racing home, stopping as he got into the lair, and quietly (almost silently) sneaking into his room.

Now, Mikey was sitting in his hammock, cleaning his neck free of any blood, and sighing sadly. Mikey had always been told that vampires, werewolves, zombies, and other mythical creatures weren't real. But, because of this encounter, Mikey knew that this clearly wasn't true. One more look in a handheld mirror, and Mikey shuddered at his continuous lack of a reflection.

"How am I gonna explain this to them?" Mikey whimpered, shifting his beak around to get used to the feeling of his new fangs, which slightly poked out of his mouth.

It was scary, the thought of his brothers finding out the truth about vampires, but it was scarier to know that they would most likely freak out beyond belief at the knowledge that Mikey was now one of the bloodsucking monsters.

Which brought up a new line of thoughts.

Mikey was getting a bit hungry.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Breaking news! A young couple was found, dead in Times Square early this morning. According to recent sources, the couple was in the unusual position of being  _drained_ of all of their blood. Close relatives of the couple claim that the two had always been superstitious of creatures such as vampires, and we have been told that there is no doubt that a vampire was the cause of the deaths. Could there really be a bloodsucking creature of the night, flying around New York? More on this story, at 11:00. And now, to the weather."

Leo scoffed, changing the channel, and groaning as the story was being talked about on almost every station.

"Don't these people know that vampires don't exist?!" Leo shouted.

"Humans aren't necessarily the smartest of creatures. They'll believe anything that sounds magical or unrealistic." Donnie hummed, sitting next to his twin and looking down at his tablet.

"Well, whatever the reason, let's make sure that Mikey doesn't hear about this." Raph advised.

"Hear about what?"

Raph, Donnie, and Leo jumped, preparing to make up a believable lie, and all freezing upon seeing their baby brother.

Currently, the younger was licking at his claws, freeing them of any trace of blood, and cursing every time he accidentally nicked himself with his fangs. Raph fainted, Donnie's eyes widened and twitched, and Leo simply stared.

"Guys, could you _not_ stare at me? I'm still getting used to the whole vampire thing for myself." Mikey muttered.

Donnie groaned, shaking his head, before sighing. So, this was going to have to be taken with a grain of salt. If it wasn't, then Mikey would most likely run off and hide. This wouldn't be a bad thing on a normal day, with a normal Mikey, but now, Mikey had the uncanny ability to turn into multiple objects or creatures. Meaning that he may never be found until he wanted to be.

"Alright. Michael, would you mind explaining to us what happened?" Donnie inquired.

"Yes. Very much." Mikey replied.

"But, mayhaps we could help you." Donnie chimed.

"In what way?" Mikey asked, annoyance in his voice. "I'm a vampire, not a baby."

"I get that, Michael. I have eyes." Donnie chuckled lightly. "Just come over here."

Mikey obliged, sitting down upon Donnie's lap, and sighing heavily. A gentle nuzzle sent Mikey into a purring frenzy, and he trilled, nipping at Donnie's arm lightly.

"Whoa! Look, we love you, but you can't go around trying to turn us into vampires too!" Leo exclaimed, lightly slapping Mikey's cheek. "Bad vampire Mikey!"

"Leon, he isn't a dog." Donnie muttered, a bit taken aback by Leo's actions.

"Well he still needs to be disciplined!" Leo replied. "If he isn't, he'll be biting everyone we come across whenever he gets the chance!"

Donnie rolled his eyes, lightly pushing Mikey back as the younger then began his nipping once more. Okay, so maybe Leo had a point. Mikey was going to need some discipline and self-control training. But, where were the brothers supposed to find someone who would train Mikey willingly?

Wait a second.

"Who are you calling?" Mikey asked.

"You'll see." Donnie replied as his phone rang.

"What's up Donnie?"

"Hey, April? Do you think you could help us with something?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"And now he's a vampire." Leo chimed, watching as Raph tried to snatch Mikey out of the air.

The young turtle-turned-vampire giggled, having turned into a bat to screw around with his brothers. Leo found the gesture to be cute, whilst Raph and Donnie found it to be reckless. April was simply watching Mikey closely, making sure to take in what she could, before the training started. Thankfully, training a mystic cat/dog/possible mutant St. Bernard came in handy. Now April could know what to expect out of a creature beyond normal animal/Yokai standards.

"When was the last time he fed?" April asked.

"Earlier tonight. Why?  _Is he gonna try to suck our blood?!"_   Raph screamed.

"What? No! He can't drink the blood of someone he's psychologically or biologically related to! It's against some sort of "moral code" the vampires are supposed to follow." April replied.

"How and why do you know this?" Donnie asked.

"I had a cousin who got turned into a vampire. She wanted her boyfriend to be a vampire too, but she learned the code, and started crying because of it." April explained, sticking out her arm for Mikey to land.

Mikey squeaked happily, wrapping his wings around himself and trilling. April smiled, allowing Mikey to use her arm as a branch. The unusually large turtle-bat looked to his brothers, squeaking and flapping his wings, just barely lifting into the air, before landing on April's arm once more and panting.

"Looks like someone's sleepy." Leo chimed.

"More like hungry." April corrected. "I saw the news about that couple, and he's too young and freshly turned to be sustained on that small of a meal alone."

"Well then, what kind of meal would be large enough?" Leo asked.

"You know anyone who has a herd of cows?" April inquired.

"Not anywhere close." Donnie replied, flinching lightly as Mikey flew up to him.

Mikey sighed, landing on Donnie's shoulders, and getting comfortable, lying his head upon Donnie's and closing his eyes to rest.

"...He's roosting..." Donnie whisper-squealed, fighting back the urge to pet Mikey.

"I knew you'd get excited about this eventually." Leo chimed.

"Boys. He's hungry, remember? Y'know, need food. Need eat. I eat, I live?" April reminded.

"Right." Donnie muttered. "Can we not at least use some sort of substitute?"

"Yeah! Does it really _have_ to be from a live creature?" Raph asked.

"Sadly, yes." April replied.

"Then I have a perfect idea." Leo chuckled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Why did we have to drive so far out?" Raph asked, a bit concerned about the fact that Mikey was now viciously growling in the back seat.

Around one and a half hours ago, Mikey had transformed back into his normal form, and he was staring down his brothers intensely. None of the older brothers made eye contact with Mikey, and tried to keep it low-key about their fear. If they were being honest, the boys felt a bit bad about being so afraid of their baby brother, just because of the fact that he was a vampire.

"If you  _must know_ , it is because of the fact that there are  _plenty_ of cows in the area." Leo replied. "Right here!"

April stopped the van that the group had been riding in, parking on the side of the road, and instructing everyone to get out slowly. Of course, being the boys they were, Raph, Donnie, and Leo rushed out of the van, screaming as Mikey made a b-line towards the cows, easily draining each cow in a matter of four seconds. All-in-all, Mikey ended up feeding on thirty-two cows, happily licking his lips in satisfaction.

"My compliments to the cows!" Mikey giggled, his trademark gleam in his eyes. "Alright! I'm ready to go home and do stuff!"

"I need to go lay down... for eight years..." Raph muttered.

Mikey huffed, opening his mouth to reply, and yelping as he was suddenly hit with a ray of sun. A screech then filled the air, before Mikey turned into a bat, flying off as quickly as possible, in order to reach the lair before full sunrise.

"Right. He can't be in the sunlight." April sighed. "Come on boys. We'll have to meet him there."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Alright Mikey, you all comfy up there?" Leo asked, smiling as he got a gentle squeak in return. "Alright buddy. Just call us if you need anything. Sweet dreams."

Mikey sighed happily, having turned into a bat once more. The teenaged mutant turtle vampire had made a small roost on the roof of his room, wrapping his wings around himself, and licking at his snout. Last night had been interesting, and Mikey was more than certainly never going to forget it. Now, of course, things would be  _more than different_ with Mikey being a vampire, but only in certain aspects. Mikey's sleep schedule would fit in almost perfectly with the family lifestyle, considering how none of the brothers went out during the day unless accompanied by each other.

Eating would be a bit different, considering how Mikey would now have a strong taste for blood, amongst other strange things, and how he could no longer eat pizza.

"Wait..." Mikey muttered.  ** _" NO MORE PIZZA?!"_**

"I knew he'd realize that eventually." April chimed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so, the turtles' sleep schedule is really strange to me. I understand that they go to sleep at night, but they supposedly roam around NYC at night as well. So, do they only get 2-5 hours of sleep every night, or do they take interval naps during the day? I'm really confused.


	29. Listen Leo, Listen!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lil' boy is just too much...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, old videos are the best.

"Mikey! You can't just eat everything you want! You didn't even ask! It's rude, and totally unlike you!" Leo screamed, gesturing to an empty plate, which was once decorated with cupcakes.

"But, Leo! You don't get it! This is April's house, and April is our friend! Okay? In April's house, I can do what I want!" Mikey replied, pointing to the plate as well. "You see this plate? This plate isn't yours. It's April's! So you can't tell me that I can't eat what's on it!"

Leo groaned, moving to the side, and watching as Mikey began opening and closing a nearby cabinet. A look was sent in Leo's direction, and the Slider knew that this was a challenge. Mikey was challenging Leo to tell him off.

"Mikey-"

"No! Look! This isn't  _your_ cabinet! It's  _April's!_ So I can open and close this when I want!" Mikey interrupted, slamming the cabinet shut.

"April isn't even home!" Leo scoffed, pushing Mikey away from the cabinet.

"Which is why I can do it! Because she isn't telling me I can't! That means that I  _can!_ You get it?" Mikey chimed, crawling onto the counter, and reaching up to retrieve a jar of cookies.

"Oh come on!" Leo shouted, looking down to Mayhem, who had poofed into the kitchen upon hearing the brothers' argument. "Do you see this?!"

Mayhem squeaked, using his powers to retrieve the jar for Mikey. The young teen cheered, high-fiving Mayhem, and jumping down. Leo gaped incredulously, completely appalled by what he had just witnessed.

"MAYHEM! You're supposed to be on  _my_ side!" Leo groaned.

"No! Listen Leo! April is our friend! So I can have these!" Mikey huffed, opening the jar.

"Mikey, if you eat a cookie, then I will not hesitate to spank you." Leo warned.

"You can't!" Mikey shouted.

"Oh? And why not?"

"Because I'm your baby brother!"

"Mikey, you may be my baby brother, but you're doing the exact  _opposite_ of what I'm telling you! I'm your big brother, and it's my job to discipline you!"

"But, if you do that, then it'll hurt!"

"You're disobeying me! If I don't do anything, how are you supposed to learn?"

"But Leo, listen to me! You aren't listening to me! We're at April's! I can do what I want here!"

"No, you can't! This is disrespectful, and you need to learn a-  _DON'T YOU DARE EAT THAT COOKIE!"_

Mikey giggled, holding a cookie in his hands, and keeping it near his mouth. Leo shook his head, a serious scowl on his face. With another giggle, Mikey moved the cookie closer, flinching only slightly as Leo moved forward.

"Leo, look-it! Listen to me! This is April's! You can't tell me what to do at April's house!" Mikey whined, backing into a corner.

"Since when? I'm still your big brother here!" Leo responded.

"But this is April's!" Mikey shouted.

"You aren't listening to me!"

" _You_ aren't listening to  _me!_ How can I talk if you won't listen?!"

Leo groaned, facepalming, and sighing heavily before deciding that he'd had enough. Mikey smiled, setting the jar down, and taking a bite out of the cookie.

"Boy, you done."

_"AAAAHH!"_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, how was your day?" Donnie asked jokingly. "Why won't you sit down, Michael?"

Mikey growled, standing with his arms crossed, and yelping in pain every time he was forced move a certain way, due to his legs falling asleep. Raph and Donnie snickered, looking to Leo, and commemorating him for putting his foot down for once. Leo took the praise with glee, claiming that he would not hesitate to be a "better big brother" whenever Mikey acted out.

"But you still won't listen, Leo!" Mikey whined.

. . .

"Sit down."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone ever get the double punishment? When your parents say they'll make it so you won't be able to sit for a week, and then school rolls around, where you have to sit for a week? X3


	30. 95%

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey has a bad day on his first day of school.

"Maybe we would be out in the wild. Ooh! Or, maybe we'd all be with loving, human families! I wonder what that would be like!" Mikey gasped, thinking of all sorts of possibilities that could have happened, had the brothers not been mutated. "Maybe we would have never met in the first place..."

"Pizza call!" April suddenly shouted.

"Coming!" Mikey chimed loudly, putting the finishing touches on his chart.

The entire thing was a large jumble of possibilities, and could very nearly put a theorist to shame. Were he being honest, Mikey had considered this scenario for a while now. Not with the intent of saying that he wanted something different, but more out of curiosity. The young Box Turtle had been studying up on all sorts of things involving turtles, and actually almost  _puked_ in response to some of the stuff he'd discovered.

Despite that, Mikey continued to look, his intrigue and wonder steadily increasing as he delved further into these alternate realities. If Donnie saw this, he'd probably freak out about such a thing crossing Mikey's mind, before actually commemorating Mikey for such a strong work ethic.

"Which is why you're going somewhere no one will find you." Mikey hummed, rolling the large chart up, and sticking it in a crevice between the wall and his dresser. "My brothers can be so overprotective sometimes."

"I'm gonna eat your pizza if you don't get in here!" Leo warned.

Mikey squeaked, turning and racing into the living room, landing face first onto the floor, and very nearly breaking his neck. With a groan, Mikey sat up, popping his neck, and snatching his two slices of pizza.

"Whoa! Stuffed crust?! I  _love_ stuffed crust!" Mikey gasped, nibbling on the crust of his pizza.

"That you do. And, we got said stuffed crust for a very special reason." Donnie chimed. "Do you know what it is?"

"Is it April's birthday?" Mikey asked.

"No." Donnie replied.

"Is it Raph's birthday?" Mikey inquired.

"Nope." Raph responded.

"Ohmigosh! Is it _the twins'_ _birthday?!_ I didn't get them a present!" Mikey whimpered.

"Mikey! It isn't a birthday!" Leo snickered, pulling Mikey into a hug. "It's to congratulate you, for getting accepted!"

"Wait... you mean...?"

"Yep. You got accepted into the EGNHT Academy." Raph confirmed.

Mikey screamed, leaping out of Leo's grasp, and hopping around excitedly. Just a year and a half ago, a good while after the second semester of the first year started, Mikey had applied to a nearby High School for Exceptionally Gifted Non-Human Teens, or EGNHT. Apparently, the school was almost  _impossible_ to get into, and only a handful of mutants were accepted. In order to get at least a consideration, Mikey had to take an advanced test, which would prove whether or not he was ready to join such a program. Lo and behold, Mikey showed off an exemplary amount of talent, and was accepted as soon as his scores got in.

"I can't believe it! I get to go to school! A  _real school!"_   Mikey squealed, launching himself into his family's arms.

"That's right, and we expect big things out of you." April replied.

"Oh, don't you worry! I'll do so good in that school, that I could become the mutant president!" Mikey cheered.

"I'm not so sure about that, but I appreciate your enthusiasm." Donnie chuckled. "Onto more pressing matters, however. You realize that you're going to have to act like much more of an adult, don't you?"

Mikey nodded.

"Good. So, as soon as you start school, you're going to have a strict schedule. When you get home, you will study and/or do your homework for at least two hours. Your curfew will be 8:30, and you will go to bed at 10:00 sharp. Now, of course this will exclude when we have battles, but you get the general idea." Donnie explained sternly.

"You have my word. I'll be as responsible as ever!" Mikey shouted. "With that, though... can I at least join any clubs?"

"Will they be educational?" Leo asked.

"Chess and Debate."

"Deal."

A cheer escaped from Mikey, and he scrambled away from his family, announcing that he was going to tell Splinter. The others smiled, sitting back and sighing.

"He has no idea how proud we are of him." Donnie sighed softly, the widest of smiles on his face.

"He has no idea how proud  _dad_ will be." Leo added. "Pop's been nagging about Mikey going to school for a while."

"Really?" April chimed, surprised.

"Yeah. Dad  _really_ wants Mikey to go down the best path. He wants it for all of us, but it's kind of too late for us now. You can only sign up if you're 13 or younger." Raph explained.

"Oh. Are there any more schools around?" April inquired.

"Probably, but I don't really think school's for us." Donnie responded.

"HE'S SUPER PROUD!" Mikey screamed loudly.

Everyone laughed at that, their laughter increasing as Splinter raced into the living room, carrying Mikey like a baby.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay Michael, remember what we talked about." Donnie hummed softly, tidying up Mikey's newly tailored suit.

"I will. Respect, Integrity, Citizenship, and Responsibility." Mikey replied.

"Spell Citizenship." Donnie ordered.

"C-i-t-i-z-e-n-s-h-i-p." Mikey droned.

"Isosceles triangles do what?"

"Have two equal sides."

"Scalene?"

"No equal sides."

"Equilateral?"

"All equal sides, and Right Triangles have right angles, in reference to the Right Angle Theorem, which coincides with the Hypotenuse Leg Postulate." Mikey responded. "Okay! I get it! Can I go now? _Please?"_

Donnie smiled, placing a quick kiss to Mikey's cheek, before urging the younger off. The genius had been the one assigned to take Mikey to school, as Raph had broken down at the thought of letting Mikey go, and Leo had hidden somewhere, so as to not do the same. A heavy sigh of fear escaped from Donnie, and he smirked before climbing into the Turtle Tank.

"E to the I Pi plus 1!"

"Zero! Now  _GO HOME!"_

"Attaboy."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Mikey returned home later that day, he was slumped over, and had the saddest of looks on his face. This drove his brothers to immediately go into protection mode, each simultaneously asking if Mikey had been bullied. Mikey shook his head, but put his arms up, whimpering as he was picked up by Raph.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked, sitting down, along with Raph and Donnie on the living room floor.

Mikey sniffled, nuzzling close to Raph, and muttering.

"We can't help you if you don't tell us what's wrong." Donnie chided lightly.

"Fine! I'll tell you what's wrong!" Mikey shouted, grasping his bookbag, and opening it, rattling through it, before pulling out a test paper. " _THIS_ is what's wrong!"

Leo grabbed the test paper, looking over it, and pursing his lips. Nothing  _seemed_ out of the ordinary. It was a standard test paper. Of course, the material was partially stuff that Leo considered complete and utter boring nonsense, but it was still in a standard test format.

"I don't see the problem." Leo muttered.

"How can you  _not?!_ It's in red ink, right in the middle! It's  _disgusting!"_   Mikey sobbed.

A quick glance to the center of the paper, and Leo smirked, holding back a laugh, and turning to let out a deep breath, before inevitably laughing.

"You're upset, because you got a 95 on your test?!" Leo cackled.

Raph and Donnie then looked to Mikey, who was pouting. Without restraint, the two joined in with the laughter, and Mikey wailed, punching Raph in the gut repeatedly. Raph apologized, instructing the twins to do the same. Once they'd done so, the atmosphere then returned to its once serious nature.

"Mikey, you can't be so upset over such a good grade-"

"GOOD GRADE?! That isn't a GOOD GRADE! A  _100_ is a  _good grade!_ That piece of garbage is a taunting reminder that I'll never be good enough for this academy!" Mikey sobbed.

"Mikey, it's still an A. You can't expect to get perfect scores on every test. I'd honestly be a bit concerned if you did." Donnie chimed.

"You would?" Mikey asked, sniffling and rubbing at his eyes.

"Mm-hm. Tests are to show what you know, and how much you've retained. You can't know everything. Trust me, I've tried. It's impossible. All you can do, is your best. We will be perfectly fine with any A you bring us. Granted, you're allowed to get B's, and the  _very occasional_ C." Donnie confirmed. "We won't hold a grudge if you're struggling. We can help you."

"Correction, Donnie can help you." Leo scoffed.

Mikey giggled, wiping away his remaining tears, and scooting closer to Raph.

"So I don't have to make 100s all the time?" Mikey inquired.

"Nope. Just try your best to do so." Raph assured.

"Okay then... since that's out of the way, there is  _one thing_ that went  _GREAT_ today!" Mikey cheered.

"And that would be?" Leo asked, suddenly disturbed by Mikey's almost immediate change in attitude.

"I GOT A BOYFRIEND!"

"OH PIZZA SUPREME,  _WHY?!?!?!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, I'd actually be willing to read something about Mikey going to a school like the EGNHT. Should I write it, or be lazy and let someone else do it?


	31. Colton

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey attempts to introduce his new boyfriend to his brothers.
> 
> Madness ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somewhat loosely related to the previous chapter (Chapt. 30: 95%)

"This, is Colton. He's... my boyfriend."

Leo stared at the Yokai in front of him, a dangerous hint to the look. Said Yokai- aka Colton -was around Leo's height, and was pretty much a giant cat. Colton had a thick black stripe on his forehead, which ran down his back, and stopped at the base of his tail, the stripe accenting Colton's white base coat. The only reason that this information could be told, was simply because-

"Why is he naked?" Leo asked, absentmindedly tapping his claws against the kitchen table.

"Leo, he has  _fur_. He isn't naked." Mikey groaned, beginning to blush lightly. "Besides, he's always in dress code at school!"

"Exactly! How do you think the school would feel, if they found out that one of their students walked around without clothes?"

"Okay, first of all: Hypocritical. We wear nothing but shorts. Secondly: It's rude to judge Colton without getting to know him!" Mikey huffed, crossing his arms and puffing out his cheeks.

"If I may speak, sir," Colton started, "I truly do wish to respect your wishes. Therefore, if wearing clothes makes you feel better, then I will gladly do so."

"See? Colton's as sweet as can be! And so respectful, too!" Mikey chimed, hugging Colton close. "C'mon Leo!  _You_ of all mutants should want me to be happy!"

"Miguel, it isn't that I don't want you to be happy, it's just... you know how Raph will react." Leo sighed.

Mikey huffed, nuzzling into Colton's chest, and beginning to cry. With an eye roll, Leo stood from his seat at the kitchen table, patting Mikey on the head.

"Fine. It seems like Colton really  _does_ make you sorta happy. So, if you can keep this a secret from Raph, you two can...  _date_." Leo muttered, trying to hold back a low growl.

In a hilarious twist of irony, Leo was just as upset about this Colton fellow as Raph would be. The Slider just had an easier time hiding it. Raph would most likely try to beat Colton to a pulp, and there was no telling how Donnie would react. No matter who did what, it could easily be concluded that Colton wouldn't last an  _hour_ in the lair when everyone else found out about him.

"YES! Thank you so much, Leo!" Mikey cheered, throwing himself onto Leo and giggling. "You're the best big brother ever!"

"Eh, I wouldn't go  _that far_." Leo hummed. "I still wanna kill the guy too."

At that, Mikey groaned, pushing Leo back slightly. Mikey then crossed his arms once more, sending a look of scolding.

"Stare me down all you want, my opinion on this guy still stands." Leo chuckled. "I still don't think that you need to be dating."

"And why not?" Mikey asked.

"Because, dating is just another word for Mate Practice." Leo replied. "Once you find out what you want in a mate, you'll start searching for guys with those qualities. After that, it's nothing but straight up sex from there."

_"LEO!"_

"What?! It  _is!_ And you can't escape that fact!" Leo shouted as Mikey stormed off, dragging a flustered Colton with him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Colton, I'm so sorry. My brothers can be such  _assholes_ sometimes." Mikey huffed as he and Colton sat on the edge of an apartment complex.

"Whoa, I've never heard you curse before. That's kinda hot." Colton chimed.

Mikey sent a frustrated glare towards Colton, and the Yokai cleared his throat, ears shifting in slight embarrassment.

"Right. Big brothers, bad feelings, not the time, sorry."

A long sigh then escaped from Mikey, and he leant against Colton despite his feelings of anger. If Mikey could just  _show_ his brothers how great Colton was, without them trying to tear him apart and eat him for dinner, then they would finally be able to accept Mikey and Colton's relationship! How, exactly, was Mikey supposed to do that, though?

"Hey, calm down. You're stressing too much." Colton pointed out, kissing Mikey's forehead sweetly.

"Thanks sweetie." Mikey sighed, wiping away a tear. "I just don't know what to do."

"How about we set up some sort of situation where they  _have_ to get to know me?" Colton suggested.

"Just for that, you're getting extra kisses before you go home."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mikey, why are we here?" April inquired, looking around the fancy restaurant that she and the rest of the brothers were sat in. "How did you even manage to find enough money to get us here?"

"I was just getting to that!" Mikey replied quirkily, shifting and adjusting his fancy suit as he stood, seemingly looking for someone.

Not even eight minutes ago, had Mikey dragged his brothers and April to a high class restaurant. Mikey had given no explanation as to how or why he had brought the others here, and they had been waiting for around thirty minutes to be told.

"Well? Care to explain?" Donnie asked, crossing his arms.

"Hold on. Just wait. Your explanation will be here in three... two-"

"And, he's early!" Colton squeaked, pushing a large band of Yokai back. "Don't come out with the surprise, until I take the position."

The band nodded, scuttling out of view. Once they'd done so, Colton made his way to the table, smiling and standing next to Mikey. At the moment, Colton was dressed in a _very_  expensive looking black tux. A dark blue bowtie was professionally tied around Colton's neck, and he had cute little white Cufflinks. Colton's dress pants were similar in style, but had a bit of a silkier look to them.

"Lady and Gentlemen, this is Colton." Mikey announced. "He's my boyfriend."

"WHOSABITTAWHATNOW?!" Raph screamed, having multiple hands slapped over his mouth so as to keep them from getting thrown out.

"Michael, what in the  _living hell_ are you talking about?" Donnie hissed, baring his teeth as he glared at Colton, who averted his eyes and lay his ears back.

"Do you  _not_ remember when I told you about my school boyfriend?" Mikey scoffed.

"Little boy, I am giving you an eight second head start, before I bash this Yokai's skull in." Donnie growled.

"You'll do no such thing!" Mikey huffed. "At least get to know him!"

"Why should we-"

"BOYS!"

The brothers then stopped their arguing, looking to April, who was frowning in disappointment.

"You three are acting like animals! Mikey is your baby brother, and he's found love! Love outside of what you have! Why can't you just give his boyfriend a chance?" April asked.

"But- but he-"

"What did he do to you?"

No one said anything else. With a heavy sigh, April instructed the group to sit down and try to bond. The boys attempted to do so hesitantly, each of them on edge.

"So,  _Colton_. What exactly drew you to our sweet, innocent, precious angel?" Donnie asked, prepared to climb over Leo and grab Mikey.

You know. Just in case Colton tried anything...  _funny_.

"Well, it honestly started when Mikey introduced himself to me on the first day. He was incredibly kind to me, which surprised me, considering how I'm not really one to want to make friends. I'll admit, at first I was a bit...  _hesitant_ , to get to know Mikey. But, after spending a bit of time with Mikey, I found myself being drawn closer than I'd ever expected."

"Pfft. How long did it take you to come up with  _that_ lie?"

"Leo! Cut it out!"

Leo simply shrugged in response, tearing off a piece of his paper napkin, and tossing it at Colton. Mikey sneered, fed up with how his brothers were acting, and urging Colton away from the table.

"Come on Colton. We'll just have to find somewhere more  _decent_ to eat. We're  _obviously_ not welcome here." Mikey scoffed, leading Colton away. "Oh! And, before I forget: Colton and I had your food pre-ordered based upon your preferences, and Colton was _going_ to be kind enough to pay for it all! But, since you all- excluding April, love ya -want to be such butts about it, we're only going to pay for April's bill. You three can handle the rest."

Just then, the food was brought out, as well as the bill. At the sight of the cost, Raph fainted, and the twins simply burst into horrified laughter. April simply started to eat, humming happily, despite her singular bill of $250,000.

Meanwhile, Colton was trying to hide his embarrassment as he and Mikey went to the opposite side of the restaurant. All of this was happening...

And Colton  _still_ hadn't taken the position.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how do y'all feel about Colton?
> 
> Also: Sorry about my lack of frequent updates. Having Epilepsy really takes a lot out of a person. ~_~


	32. Sniff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's good to know that Mikey has the nose of a bloodhound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: Box Turtles have the greatest sense of smell amongst any semi-aquatic terrapin discovered by man. :D

"Mmmm! Apple pie in pizza form! Two things that never should have been married, but have been met in delicious harmony for the past few hundred years." Leo sighed happily, grabbing a slice of the "dessert pizza" the brothers had picked up from a nearby pizza place.

The box of 'pie-disguised-as-pizza' was left in front of a close-by pizzeria, and Leo was the one who had discovered it while out on patrol. In a flash, Leo grabbed the box, raced home with it, and announced to his brothers that he'd made the ultimate discovery. Of course, the others replied with more than excitement, and they all went to dig in. Before anyone could get the pizza in their mouths, however, Mikey freaked out, jumping around and yelping before hissing and knocking the pizza out of his brothers' hands.

"MIKEY! Why did you-"

"Don't eat any of that!" Mikey shouted, sticking his nose to the ground and sniffing around.

Not even a few seconds after the pizza box was opened, Mikey caught scent of a weird smell, and it immediately put him on high alert. A few seconds more, and Mikey swore that he knew exactly what it was he was smelling. Because of this, Mikey went into full-on "Protect My Big Brothers Because I Love Them" mode. The sniffing went on for a few seconds more, before Mikey got to the box, stopping before his snout actually hit the material, and hissing once more, pushing the box onto the floor, and letting out a wail of frustration.

"There's something in the fake pizza! It's all  _lies!"_   Mikey screamed, falling flat on his face after a failed attempt to 'intimidate' the pizza box.

"Mikey, I  _highly doubt_ that there's something in the pizza." Donnie groaned, a look of slight concern appearing on his face as Mikey whimpered and bounced around anxiously. "Fine. I'll test it, but only to calm you down."

Donnie then grabbed the box, thankful that it hadn't actually fallen pizza down. With his brothers following, Donnie walked to the lab, grabbing a slice of pizza, and putting it in a nearby machine, waiting for a while, before a light 'ding!' emitted from it. The machine then spit out a small strip of paper, and Donnie grabbed it, looking over the information, and going wide-eyed as he looked at the results.

"This pizza had Nightshade berries in it..." Donnie muttered, handing the paper to Raph.

"So?" Leo replied, standing on his toes to look at the paper.

"Nightshade berries are incredibly poisonous." Donnie responded sharply, looking to Mikey, who smiled before trotting off triumphantly. "I don't believe it..."

Mikey had just saved their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short one. But, imagine how many times that Box Turtle sense of smell is gonna be used in the show other than the two times it's already been used ("Bug Busters" and "The Evil League of Mutants"). Probably not a lot, even though that could be considered Mikey's superpower.


	33. Photo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey loses something precious.

"Where is it?! Where could it possibly be?!"

Raph raised his head up from the pizza he was eating, and the twins watched in curiosity as Mikey looked around the kitchen, tears streaming down his face. Each of the older brothers looked to each other with slight concern, and they nodded in indication that something should be done.

"Uhh, Mikey? What exactly are you looking for?" Leo asked.

"I can't say!" Mikey sobbed, racing to search through each cupboard, and crying out as each of his searches came up negative. "I just have to find it!"

"Michael, perhaps we can help you." Donnie offered.

Mikey simply sat down, sobbing and rubbing at his eyes furiously. So, it was becoming obvious that Mikey wasn't going to speak any time soon, but that wasn't going to stop his brothers from trying to help. Mikey was clearly broken by the fact that he'd lost... whatever it was he lost, and none of his big brothers were going to rest until their poor baby brother felt better!

"Mikey, come on. Tell us what's wrong." Leo gently instructed, sitting next to Mikey and wiping a stream of tears away.

With a heavy and wavering sigh, Mikey decided to speak. "I lost our family picture! The one that I always kept in my room!"

The others looked to each other in surprise, confused as to why Mikey was crying about something so silly. Before anyone could say anything, however, Mikey spoke up once more.

"It was the first time all of us were happy... everyone was looking at the camera, and each smile was so genuine... we were only little, but I still love it so much..."

At that, the others gasped, huddling close to Mikey, and hugging him tightly. Things made sense now. However, it was odd that Mikey had lost something so important to him. Sure, his room was a bit messy, but he always kept things extremely important to him wherever he could find them.

"Where could you have-"

"Orange! I almost forgot to give you your picture back! I took it to April so she could make copies for all of us! A sort of early birthday present to all of you!" Splinter announced.

"Dad! You found it! But, you also took it... that's okay though! You brought it back!" Mikey cheered, breaking out of his brotherly hug, and pulling his father into a tight hug.

"Yes, I get it, you were upset, but you don't have to be anymore." Splinter sighed.

Mikey sighed happily, nuzzling against Splinter sweetly.

"Orange."

"Hmm?"

"That means 'let go'."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> H*cc yeah! Emotion and comfort in the shortest chapter existing! >:D


	34. Catching Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey's finally getting on board with the whole "I'm a teenager, so I can do what I want, when I want" schtick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy howdy, this chapter is gonna go ahead and be rated a bit more G+. Implications are made, but not TOO directly hinted at. Thus, I had to ditch the rating.
> 
> Because Mikey's a teenaged male. With claws and pointy teeth.
> 
> Also because I might add some more... crazy stuff now and then. Nothing too bad. A majority of it will still be family friendly.

**_"WHAT WHERE YOU THINKING?!?!?!?"_ **

Mikey flinched lightly, blushing heavily as he looked down to the floor from his hammock. Okay, so this was  _not_ what Mikey planned on happening tonight. All Mikey wanted to do, was go topside for a bit, chill with April, and then go home! He hadn't planned on finding Colton walking around the city as well!

Not that he was complaining.

"I didn't think that-"

"NO! That's right! You  _DIDN'T THINK!_ Michelangelo, you have done  _many things_ that should be  _beyond punishable_ , but  _THIS?!"_   Raph interrupted, growling as he slammed his fists against the walls.

"Raph, listen! I didn't even _plan_ on meeting Colton!"

"Yet you still went with him!" Raph screamed.

"How was I supposed to know that would happen?!" Mikey replied loudly, grunting as his hammock swayed suddenly.

"Michael, this is perhaps one of the most immature and inappropriate things you have ever done." Donnie hissed, pinching the top of his snout in exasperation.

"Yeah! What about  _any of that scenario_ made you think this was a good idea?!" Leo added. "I mean, you're usually on your best behavior! If someone tries to encourage you to skip school, you still go! If someone asks you to try a stupid stunt, you stick to what you know! But the minute that this... this...  _menace_ of a boyfriend of yours flicks his ears, you say "Oh yeah! Tonga Time"!"

"Colton isn't a menace! And it wasn't his fault!" Mikey shouted, sitting up straight. "I admit, I went with it, but he offered to take things as far as I would let it go!"

"And that meant "all the way" to you?" Donnie inquired sarcastically.

Whimpering, Mikey slumped, thinking over what he'd done, and sighing heavily. So, maybe this was a super mega  _really bad idea_ , but could you blame him?! Mikey is a teenaged male! He should have the liberty to do as he pleases!

"YEAH! I'm not some little kid anymore! I'm 13 stinkin' years old! Pretty much a grown man!" Mikey shouted, puffing out his chest and crossing his arms.

"...You realize that Colton can go to jail if anyone but us finds out."

Mikey silenced, eyes going wide as he suddenly came to that realization. Boy oh boy, was Mikey only digging himself a deeper grave.

"You guys aren't going to tell the mutant authorities... are you?" Mikey asked feebly.

"Are you going to let this happen again?" Donnie replied.

"Uh-"

"Yes, hello? I'd like to report a-"

"NAO!"


	35. Cheery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey chooses an incredibly weird- but still adorable -disguise for a mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the episode: Hypno! Part Deux

"M-A-D, Dogz! Can't mistake us all for frogs! We. Got. The. Skillz! Mess with us, we in your grill! YEAH!"

"Mikey, if you weren't so darn adorable in that cheerleader outfit, I would be screaming at you to shut up." Donnie muttered, trying to stay focused on the mission, rather than the random "cheers" that Mikey was spewing out every five seconds.

"Because we're brothers! Oh yeah we are, we're brothers! B-r, o-t, h-e-r-s, we're brothers!" Mikey giggled, hopping around and squealing like a little girl.

Raph, Donnie, and Leo groaned, face-palming, but smiling with glee despite themselves. It  _would_ be a Mikey thing to dress up as an adorable little cheerleader. The kid was in a peach-coloured skirt for crying out loud! Of course, the brothers knew that Mikey would get invested in the whole cheerleader thing, so they agreed to let this phase flow out for however long it was going to.

"Mikey, buddy, remember the rule. Only cheer when Meat Sweats is around. Otherwise, you'll draw attention that isn't needed towards us." Leo whispered through an earpiece.

"He's here! He's here! OMFG he's here! We should bring him over, so he can hear my cheer!" Mikey shouted, hopping up and down.

Not surprisingly, this grabbed Meat Sweats' attention, and he paused as he tried to gather what he was witnessing.

"What in the bloody-"

"MEAT SWEATS! WE'RE HERE TO STOP YOU! HAVE AT THEE!" Raph screamed, rushing out to beat up Meat Sweats.

The pig mutant then roared, bounding towards Raph, and cackling as they fought. Not too long after, the twins joined in, and the fight became even more intense.

"WAIT!" Mikey ordered, stopping the fight. "My skirt fell down."

Mikey then proceeded to pull his skirt up, shifting it around, and humming happily as it fit nice and snug once more.

"Okay." Mikey then hummed, moving his pom-poms around and giggling. "I'll cheer for my fam! F-A-M, my fam! We'll teach you a lesson, and can you like a ham!"

Raph and the twins let out loud coos of affection, and grunted as they were knocked down. The fight then restarted, and Mikey continued to cheer, dancing around like an untrained ballerina, and even going as far as  _twerking_ , which led to the fighting group begging him to stop.

"I have witnessed things that don't need to be seen." Donnie whimpered, shuddering as he tried to refocus his attention on the fight.

Sadly though, that display left everyone too shocked to do anything, and they decided to call it a truce. At that, Meat Sweats walked away, repeatedly punching his head, until he fell down.

"If only." Leo whispered.

"We won, the fight! Yea boi we won the fight! Looking at, our winnings, and not just at our plight!" Mikey cheered, skipping and hopping happily. "I'm gonna be a cheerleader forever!"

"Oh...  _great_..." the others simultaneously sighed.


	36. Ritorureddopanda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey makes a cute little friend!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title translates to: Little Red Panda

"Guys! You'll never believe what I found!" Mikey shouted, rushing into the lair with fervor, giggling and babbling excitedly.

"MIKEY! Oh, thank the Pizza Supreme that you're okay!" Raph screamed, pulling Mikey into a suffocating hug. "Don't you  _ever_ run off like that again!"

"Yeah! You know the rule! No going out of the lair without one of us!" Leo added, crossing his arms.

Mikey rolled his eyes, wiggling away from Raph, and wiping himself down. Looking to two of his three brothers- as Donnie was not currently present -Mikey chuckled.

"If you two are done being mom, I would like to announce something very big. I... made a friend!" Mikey chimed. "Now, don't be upset, she won't hurt us. I promise. She's sweet, playful, and fun-sized!"

A squeak then resonated through the lair, and soon after, a small Red Panda climbed onto Mikey's shoulder, smiling widely. Raph gasped, and Leo narrowed his eyes.

"Okay! I forgive you!" Raph shouted, reaching out, and pulling the Red Panda into a hug. The creature yowled in surprise, using her clawed fingers to try and push Raph away. Mikey simply advised her to let things happen. With a growl, the Red Panda obliged, tail swishing in slight discomfort.

"I found her at the junkyard!" Mikey announced. "And I named her Clorox!"

"Wait...  _Clorox?_ Why  _Clorox_ of all things?" Leo asked.

"Well, Clorox cleans stuff, and my little new friend looks like a scrubby! So they both clean!" Mikey explained.

"On-cued adorable but terrible logic." Donnie muttered, stepping up to his brothers calmly.

"Donnie! Look at Clorox! She's my new friend! But, I mean, she isn't really like a pet. She's like a companion! Like Mayhem, but cuter! Oh, Clorox is  _so much cuter than-"_

"Michael, I love you, but you need to shut up. Okay hon?"

"Okay!"

"With that out of the way... how about we discuss this together?" Leo suggested. "As big brothers."

Mikey pouted, but it faded as Clorox was handed to him. All pettiness forgotten, Mikey skipped off elsewhere, leaving his brothers to sigh. This would most obviously end in heartbroken misery for Mikey, but no one was brave enough to state that.

"I say we let him keep the Panda. What could she do?" Raph chimed.

"Famous last words, stated by a logically blind man."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"And you take this paw, and try to place it down on the card before I do." Mikey explained, teaching Clorox how to play Slapjack.

"Why do I have the persistent fear that he'll break her arm?" Donnie whispered, he and the others watching from a safe distance.

"Probably because he will." Leo replied.

"Should we stop them?" Raph asked.

"...Nah." the twins replied.

The game of Slapjack then started, and it became very clear that Clorox was a pro at this game. Of course, Clorox had a bit of an advantage, considering how her arms were shorter, thus giving her the ability to be physically closer to the deck of cards. After five rounds of losing, Mikey huffed, placing his cards down, and stating that the two should play something that didn't involve cheating.

"Ooh! How about Hide-and-Seek?" Mikey suggested.

Clorox rose a brow ridge, giving off the impression that the suggestion wasn't well thought out.

"Right. You could hide anywhere." Mikey sighed. "I know! What about tag?"

Another unimpressed look.

"Oh yeah. All fours... maybe we should-"

Mikey was cut off by Clorox placing a paw on his mouth. The Red Panda shook her head, using her other paw to rub at her chin, and gasping as she came up with an idea. The Red Panda then turned to waddle off, returning in a flash with one of Mikey's sketch books, and a few pencils, pens, erasers, and inks.

"DRAWING! The  _perfect idea!_ I'm so glad that  _I_ thought of that!" Mikey shouted.

Clorox growled lowly, but decided to keep it calm for the time being. Mikey was sweet, and he was just being a child. So, there was no need to be petty.

"What should I draw?" Mikey asked, tapping the pencil against his cheek, and miscalculating a tap, resulting in the pencil eraser lodging itself in his eye.

Mikey wailed, throwing the pencil down, and rubbing at his eye furiously. Clorox squeaked, climbing onto Mikey's shoulder, and spitting on her paw, moving Mikey's hand to the side, and wiping her paw over Mikey's injured eye. The young teen sniffled, waiting for a few seconds, before reopening his eye, gasping as it no longer hurt.

"You're magical!" Mikey squealed, hugging Clorox tightly.

"I'm not magical! Your eye just needed to be cleaned! Rubbing at it was just irritating it more! I was adding moisture, to help wash the shavings out." Clorox huffed, wriggling away from Mikey. "Now, look, I get it. You love me, and I love you, but I  _will not_ keep getting cuddled like this! I'm a girl! I need my boundaries!"

"But... what if I have a bad dream?" Mikey whimpered.

"Ugh... fine. You can cuddle me then." Clorox sighed.

"And, when I hurt myself in battle? Will you let me hug you?" Mikey inquired.

"...Sure..." Clorox replied.

"And even when-"

"YES!  _OBVIOUSLY_ WHEN YOU FEEL SAD!" Clorox shouted.

"Yay!" Mikey yelled, hugging Clorox close, despite the previously stated need for boundaries. "We'll be the best of companion friends! We'll go camping, and play with puppies, and watch movies, and do arts and crafts, and eat pizza, and-"

Clorox groaned gutturally, looking to the others, and throwing her ears back at the highly amused smirks they were housing. Mikey continued to ramble, and eventually talked himself to sleep, still holding on to Clorox.

"Am I gonna die here?" Clorox whispered to herself, staying still, even as Mikey was picked up by Donnie.

"Yep." Raph, Donnie, and Leo replied.

Whimpers and groans of slight annoyance emanated from Clorox that night as she was placed in Mikey's hammock with the young Box Turtle, and she openly complained, up until she was growled at by Mikey's older brothers. Knowing that this meant to shut up, Clorox decided to just let herself turn and fall to sleep. Once done, the trio of older brothers left Mikey's room, quietly speaking about what to do now.

"Do you think it'll be like having our own Mayhem?" Raph asked, looking to the twins.

"Probably not. Mayhem doesn't talk." Leo replied.

"Or look like an actual non-Yokai animal, for that matter." came Donnie's nonchalant addition.

"So... are we gonna keep her, or...?"

"Dude, she's  _Mikey's_. I'm not taking something from Mikey." Leo scoffed. "Can you even  _imagine_ how many tears he'd be spilling?"

"I'd try not to." Donnie muttered, knowing very well that his soft spot for Mikey would be his downfall someday. "Let's just keep it chill."

. . .

"What do Red Pandas even eat?"


	37. He's Normally Peaceful!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey freaks out when a friend of April's visits her apartment unexpectedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing: More HTTYD references.

"Alright Dale, just stay calm. Don't. Move. A muscle."

"Kind of hard to do that, when this...  _THING_ is trying to eat me!"

"Dale! Shut up! You're going to offend him more!"

" _I'm_ going to offend  _him?!_ Wait...  _who_ is  _him?"_

"Oh boy."

How did April get herself into this mess?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mikey growled as he chased a small, glowing dot on the floor with Mayhem, earning amused snickers from April. The young teen had decided to visit his "human big sister," after a small argument with his brothers, and was immediately met with a sweet kiss, and hot chocolate. From there, April found herself watching Mikey roll around on the floor for no apparent reason. With a smile, April pulled out a laser pointer, seeing as Mayhem wanted to play too.

"Come here! I'm gonna eat you!" Mikey shouted, jumping onto a nearby table, and falling back, bringing the table with him. "I'm okay."

April giggled, rolling her eyes as Mikey sauntered up to the couch. After doing so, Mikey looked to Mayhem, who had sat down in front of the couch as well. Mayhem and Mikey then smiled at each other, nodding as they came up with the same idea. Both creatures then looked to April, placing their arms out, and digging their claws into her couch, staying still, before tearing the piece of furniture apart.

"YOU SONS OF BITCHES!" April screamed, cursing as she chased Mikey and Mayhem around the living room. "MIKEY! YOU'RE PAYING FOR MY NEW COUCH!"

Mikey blew a raspberry, grabbing a plastic cup, and tossing it at April, letting out a 'Wow!' as she caught it.

"Boy, you're gonna get it." April muttered.

A sudden knock on the door then stopped everything, and Mikey hid underneath April's kitchen table, whimpering at the thought of his brothers coming in. April sighed, moving towards the door, and opening it, tensing as she saw who was at her door.

"Dale?! What are you doing here?!" April asked.

"Well, I was gonna come up here to work on the science project, and then I heard crashing. Is everything okay?" Dale inquired, trying to peer over April's shoulder.

"YES! Everything's fine!" April shouted, smiling nervously.

Dale, of course, didn't believe April, and he gently urged April out of the way. Looking around, Dale hummed as he found nothing out of the ordinary, mind the knocked over table and lamps. With a shrug, Dale looked to April, earning a smile.

"So, about that science project," Dale chimed, pulling out a small, baby turtle, "I brought in what I thought would work for it. Since we chose reptiles, I got this baby turtle from the pet store. Maybe we could cut it open, and see how its body shuts down?"

At that, Mikey hissed loudly, gaining Dale's attention.

"Dale! How about we don't do that, yeah? I mean, it's just a baby!" April suggested.

"Oh please, it was gonna die soon anyways. Not many of these slimy reptiles last very long in a kids' hands." Dale replied emotionlessly.

Another hiss, which was  _much louder_ , escaped from Mikey, before he launched himself at Dale, being blocked by April as he tried to attack Dale mercilessly. Dale screamed, backing up, and pulling out his phone, preparing to call the police, and watching in confusion as April attempted to cool Mikey down.

"SHH! Shh! It's okay! You're okay! He didn't mean it! He won't hurt the baby. I promise. I won't let him." April assured, gently grasping Mikey's face in her hands.

Mikey hissed once more, growling lowly, and looking to Dale, baring his teeth, and tapping his claws. Gasping for breath, Dale tried to keep his focus on April, who was unnervingly calm about the situation.

"Alright Dale, stay calm. Don't. Move. A muscle."

"Kind of hard to do that, when this...  _THING_ is trying to eat me!"

"Dale! Shut up! You're going to offend him more!"

" _I'm_ going to offend  _him?!_ Wait...  _who_ is  _him?"_

"Oh boy."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So  _that's_ how she got herself in this mess. Hmm.

"Dale..." April started cautiously, "this, is Mikey. He's... my friend."

" _Friend?_ This  _crime against nature_ is your  _friend?"_   Dale scoffed.

Mikey growled, before pouting, backing away, and sniffling, turning his head to the side and beginning to cry. Groaning, April facepalmed, sitting next to Mikey, and placing an arm around his shoulders.

"Way to go, Dale. He's sad now." April huffed, making no moves to push Mikey back, as the Box Turtle nuzzled against her. "Mikey, don't cry."

"How can I not?! He was being mean, and he wanted to... to kill the baby!" Mikey sobbed, burying his face in his hands, and letting out a pained wail.

"Hey, did I not promise you that we wouldn't hurt the baby?" April asked.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Have I ever broken a promise to you?"

"...No..."

"Then we won't hurt the baby." April hummed, grabbing the small hatchling from Dale, and handing it to Mikey.

The Box Turtle cheered, booping his beak against the baby's gently, and trilling happily. With a sigh, Mikey looked to Dale, growling once more, before looking back to the baby.

"Oh, you're so cute! I wanna keep you forever!" Mikey giggled. "And I will! You'll be my little companion!"

April rolled her eyes, smiling as Mikey thought for a second.

"What should I name you?" Mikey inquired to no one in particular, holding the hatchling close, and sniffing it once, before gasping. "Speck! That's what I'll name you!"

Meanwhile, Dale was sitting in shock, one eye twitching, and heart pounding.

"You won't tell anyone about this.  _Right Dale?"_   April asked, her question leaving no room for exceptions.

Dale nodded quickly, leaving as soon as he was dismissed, panting heavily, and looking to his phone. At that moment, Dale thought about dialing another friend's number, but something compelled him not to. Whether it be Mikey's heartbroken look, or April's threatening question, Dale knew not.

And, honestly, at the moment he didn't really care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dale is this TMNT's Casey Jones. Prove me wrong.


	38. A Prince Does Not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are many things Prince Michelangelo isn't allowed to do.
> 
> But, he still does them anyways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bambi 2 references, and The Lion King (1 and 2) references
> 
> AU in which the brothers are princes, Splinter is the king of a wealthy kingdom, and Baron Draxum is the king of a dying kingdom, with his league as his army. Everyone still looks the same, so the mutants are mutants, humans are humans, and Yokai are Yokai.

"My sons, you are getting to be strong, responsible young princes, and I am very proud of you. I have a feeling that you will lead this kingdom towards a successful f-"

"YOUNG MASTER! PUT THAT DOWN!"

"WOO-HOO!"

The king sighed heavily, ears flicking in frustration as he listened to the loud crashing of steel. Along with him, three of his four prodigy sons facepalmed, knowing exactly what was happening, and hoping that things hadn't turned out as bad as  _last time_.

"I will go speak to him." spoke Donatello, the second oldest prince.

"Please, do not make him cry again." advised Raphael, the eldest of the brothers.

"Lord knows what we'd have to deal with if you do." came a snarky remark from Leonardo, the third oldest.

"I make no promises, but I shall do my best." Donatello muttered. "Father?"

"Go." Splinter, the current king of the land, sighed.

With a nod, Donatello calmly walked out of the large room he and the others had met in. It didn't take too long for the purple-clad prince to find his youngest brother, and he sent an unimpressed look as his brother smiled nervously through the knights' armor he'd been trapped in.

"Dee, I can explain." Michelangelo, the last born of the royal family, chuckled.

"I am sure you can." Donatello sighed, helping his brother out of the armor. "Now, do so."

"Okay, so... you know how I was supposed to be signing those practice treaties?" Michelangelo asked.

Donatello nodded.

"Well, I was doing that... and then I got bored. Soooo, I started playing Knights and Dragons... and it got a little out of hand." Michelangelo explained.

"A little?" Donatello muttered.

Lowering his head, Michelangelo sighed heavily, pouting as his attire was straightened and wiped down. A soft growl came out of Donatello as he took notice of how dirty Michelangelo had gotten, but the growling stopped once he had taken notice of the small cut on Michelangelo's arm.

"You're hurt." Donatello pointed out, looking at the cut intensely.

"I've been hurt worse. It's fine." Michelangelo muttered, covering his mouth once he realized what he'd let slip out.

"What do you mean by "getting hurt worse"?" Donatello inquired.

"Uhh-"

"Michael, I asked you a question. "Uhh" is not an appropriate answer." Donatello huffed.

Growling for himself, Michelangelo muttered a curse towards his brother, yelping and whining as he was dragged into his room. Once there, Michelangelo was sat onto his bed, and his door was slammed shut. In an attempt to keep himself "safe," Michelangelo wrapped himself in his blankets, leaving only his head visible.

"Young mutant, I am just about up to  _here_ with this reckless and inappropriate behavior. You are a  _prince_ , and it your job at this age to start acting like it!"

"But, being a prince isn't any fun! What's the point of ruling over a kingdom, if I can't have fun?!"

"It is not your job as a prince to have fun! You are supposed to be practicing for the future! One day, it will be your time to rule over the kingdom, and the people will look to _you_ for guidance! How do you expect our lands to thrive, if all you do is focus on nothing more than constant playtime?!"

"Oh, the lands can die off for all I care!"

**_"MICHELANGELO!"_ **

Fear and sadness then flew through Michelangelo's body, and he immediately began to regret everything up until now. Now, it had always been one thing for the brothers to shout each others' nicknames out of anger when they were younger, but it seemed as if the three eldest could now only use full names, and would scream at the top of their lungs to get a point across. Being yelled at wasn't necessarily something that made Michelangelo upset, and it honestly shouldn't have been. But, for whatever reason, hearing his name called with this amount of anger, and from his closest brother, very nearly broke Michelangelo's heart.

"I'm sorry..." was all that Michelangelo could whisper, before offering his hand, waiting for a disciplinary strike.

"Michael, I did not mean to make you so upset. I will not strike you for your words." Donatello assured, sitting next to his brother and sighing. "I understand that you just want to enjoy your last year of being carefree, hell, even  _I_ was as antsy as you were at your age. But you have to be aware of the fact that growing up is part of being any live creature."

"You said a bad word!" Michelangelo gasped.

"I do believe you are missing my point." Donatello chuckled, pulling his youngest brother into a tight hug. "And, to add on to that; a prince does not woo-hoo."

"How come?" Michelangelo inquired, grabbing Donatello's hand and holding it close.

"To put it simply: A prince is supposed to have control, and display dignity. One cannot do that with the words of a child." Donatello replied.

"That's dumb." Michelangelo scoffed, smiling nervously at the sharp glare he received. "I mean, I understand."

With a head shake, Donatello looked towards the door upon hearing a loud knock.

"Donatello! Draxum's army, they have invaded the borders!" shouted Raphael, concern clear in his voice.

"To arms, brother!" Donatello replied, moving to stand, and grunting as he was held back.

"Donnie, can I come this time?"

"No, Michael, it is far too dangerous." Donatello huffed, tearing his hand away, and exiting Michelangelo's room, effortlessly grabbing his weapon, which had been thrown to him from a knight.

"Ugh! I never get to go with them anywhere!" Michelangelo whined, plopping back, and squealing as he was met with the sight of the brothers' best friend and favorite servant, April (or, O'Neil, as she made the other mutants and Yokai of the castle call her).

"Heheh, very graceful, Prince Mikey." April snickered.

"Oh, hey April." Michelangelo sighed. "How're things going around the castle? Considering how I'm not allowed to go anywhere farther than five feet away from my room."

"Man, that's a bitch." April scoffed. "Hey! Why don't we travel around the kingdom?"

"That's a  _HUGE STEP_ from five feet." Michelangelo remarked, grunting in response to being dragged out of his room window. "You're going to get us in so much trouble!"

"I know! And it'll be  _GREAT!"_   April replied, laughing and screaming happily as she and the prince crashed into a nearby bush.

"Ugh... Oh no! My clothes! April! My brothers are gonna kill me!" Michelangelo complained.

"Stop being such a worrywart! You wanna have fun, don't ya? Well, not worrying is one of the ways to do it!" April retorted.

Michelangelo sighed, following April despite his previous concern. "Draxum's army is around. If they find us-"

"They won't! We'll blend right in!" April assured.

"April, I am a prince. I am dressed like a prince. I am trained like a prince. How are we gonna blend in?" Michelangelo scoffed.

"You could strip down into nothing but your shorts." April suggested.

"That is perhaps the most ignorant and inappropriate suggestion I have ever heard." Michelangelo replied, shuddering.

"Ew, now you're starting to sound like Donnie." April snickered.

"He's rubbing off on me, I know. And it's gross." Michelangelo groaned, following April into the town.

In an instant, worry turned into interest, and interest turned into amazement. Even  _if_ the town was as simple as could be, it was still an impressive change from the castle. Common folk milled about, and casually talked to each other. Horse-drawn buggies passed the two teens, and the smell of fresh baked goods, as well as rotisserie meats wafted through the air. The sudden scent brought a great wave of euphoria throughout Michelangelo, and he sighed happily, jumping as he was touched on the shoulder.

"Are you, the youngest prince?" a small child inquired, her mother behind her, waiting eagerly for the answer.

"Yes...?" Michelangelo replied, surprised by the sudden hug he was wrapped in.

"Thank you so much! If it hadn't been for you, your father would have made taxes upon us much harder to pay!" the child's mother sobbed. "Now, do not get me wrong, your father is perhaps the nicest and fairest king we've had in a decade, but... it's become so difficult to do things these days, what with King Draxum constantly attacking."

Looking to April and shrugging, Michelangelo raised a brow ridge in request of an answer. April, however, replied with a large smile.

"Uhm. You're welcome." Michelangelo replied, suddenly remembering why he had been grabbed. "I am glad to have helped."

The child's mother then giggled, placing a kiss on Michelangelo's cheek, and leading her child away. With a light blush, Michelangelo looked to April once more, waiting for an answer.

"Your father and brothers have been greatly influenced by your excitement and childlike nature." April explained. "Whether you believe it or not, your comments about rules and laws not being fair are taken into consideration when new rules and laws are made."

This made the prince's heart skip a beat, and he opened his mouth to say something, before he was thrown down onto the ground by a huge, pig-like mutant. April was attacked as well, by a man-sized mantis, and she screamed as she was dragged away.

"APRIL!" Michelangelo shouted, hissing before using his claws to smack his assailant away, following after April's captor on all fours. "April! I'm coming to help you!"

"WELL THEN HURRY UP AND DO IT! DON'T JUST TELL ME YOU ARE!" April screamed, earning an eye roll.

Without skipping a beat, Michelangelo climbed up onto the top of a deli shop, jumping down onto the large mantis, and biting down on its throat. Meanwhile, April backed away quickly, gasping as she bumped into who she knew was-

"Donnie! Okay! I can explain! I just-"

"Follow the others to the castle." Donatello simply growled, making sure April did so, before pulling out his electronic staff, waiting for it to power up, and slamming it down on the head of Draxum's goon.

The mantis yelled out in pain, pushing the youngest prince away, and retreating, along with the rest of Draxum's army. Once they were gone, Michelangelo looked to the ground, standing to his feet, and following his brother back to the castle. Once there, April was sent to carry on with other matters- these being nothing more than cleaning and cooking -while Michelangelo was to receive a stern talking to.

"Brothers,  _please_ , let me ex-"

"There is no need to explain anything." Raphael growled, looking to Michelangelo with stern disappointment. "We give you clear rules, and make sure that you follow them, because we love you, and we want you to be safe!"

"But, the moment we leave you to go fight for the kingdom, you take it as a sign to run off straight into the area that's in danger!" Leonardo continued, placing a hand on his hip, chainmail making a solemn clinking sound. "And, to make matters worse, you put April in danger as well!"

"Hold on! _I_ wasn't the one who wanted to sneak out! _April_ dragged me out of the castle!" Michelangelo shouted back, standing and crossing his arms in frustration.

"That may be so, but you had the liberty to return!" Raphael retorted.

"I have the liberty?  _I HAVE THE LIBERTY?!_ WHAT LIBERTY HAVE I HAD SINCE I WAS TWELVE?! Every day, it's nothing more than "Mikey do this!" or "Mikey do that!" and, when I'm not hearing  _that_ , it's always "A prince does this!" and "A prince shouldn't do that!" well how the hell am I supposed to know what I can and can't do anymore?! You see me as nothing more than a prince! A living object that should just bend to your every command! Well, guess what? I'M. NOT. AN. OBJECT.  ** _SO STOP TREATING ME LIKE ONE!_** _"_

For once in a long time, nothing more than the echo of angry words filled the large dining room, and the band of brothers simply stared at each other. Unknowing of what to say, the three elder brothers sent awkward looks to Michelangelo, cringing slightly as he stormed off to his room without so much as a goodbye, slamming his door closed, and leaving his brothers to contemplate. Sighing, Raphael caressed his temple, trying to think of how to make things right. The twins, however, were simply sitting, thinking over Michelangelo's rant, and feeling even more terrible every time they thought of how disturbingly true his statements were.

"I know! A cake!" Leonardo suddenly shouted.

"A cake? Really? We have little to no knowledge on what cake should even _taste or look like_. How are we supposed to make something we barely know anything about?" Donatello asked.

Leonardo silenced, and he gasped as he snapped, looking to his brothers, and smirking as he realized that they'd all come up with the same idea.

"April!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Knock, knock, knock_

"Go away. I wanna be alone." Michelangelo muttered, face burrowed into his pillow.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Go away!"

**_KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!_ **

"OKAY! FINE!" Michelangelo roared, standing and storming to his door, opening it, and hissing at the sight of his brothers. "What do you want?"

"To apologize." Raphael replied, showing off the- lopsided and honestly horrifying -cake that the brothers had made.

"For...?" Michelangelo asked, his focus on how much the cake was  _dripping frosting all over the floor_.

"For making you feel so used." Leonardo responded, moving forwards, and placing a hand on Michelangelo's cheek. "You're our brother, and we should be more focused on your health and happiness than your ability to be as stern and successful as dad."

"Though, it would be nice for you to be just a  _little sterner._ " Donatello chimed, grunting as he was suddenly hugged tightly. "Of course, hugs are always appreciated."

Michelangelo giggled, purring and squeezing Donnie as close as possible, before his keen sense of smell picked up the scent of the- once again, lopsided and horrifying -cake his brothers had made.

"Before any of us eat this, I would like to know; what did you put in it?" Michelangelo inquired.

"Standard stuff. Eggs, flour, milk, sugar, vanilla, butter-"

"The frosting looks like it's made of lard." Michelangelo interrupted.

"What's lard?" Raphael inquired.

"...Y'know what? Nevermind." Michelangelo muttered.

"We  _really_ need to teach you about using so many contractions." Donatello sighed.

"Oh, hush and eat some frosting!" Leonardo scoffed playfully, driving each of the brothers to get a small scoop of frosting.

And then everyone spat out the frosting immediately.

"Yep. That's lard."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone wanna draw/animate the turts as princes, please and thank you? ~W~


	39. Nicknames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey's created a few new nicknames for his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are y'all not reading this anymore? Is it because my lack of recent updates? ;w;

"Hey Don-Don? Can I play with that stress ball of yours?"

"Did you just call me...  _Don-Don?"_

"Yeah. Why?"

Donnie paused, thinking over the nickname for a second. It had been  _years_ since Donatello had last heard that name come out of Mikey's mouth, and the mention of it was a mixture of surprise, and slight worry. Yes, it was absolutely adorable, and the name made Donnie's heart flutter, but... Mikey wasn't usually one to travel back to things that far. No matter how weird.

"No reason." Donnie sighed. "Go ahead, grab the ball."

"Thanks Dee!" Mikey giggled, grabbing the once requested stress ball, and hopping out of the lab with it.

"Odd." Donnie muttered. "But, not too odd to be worried about."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Raphie! I wanna wrestle!" Mikey shouted, launching himself onto his eldest brother.

In response, Leo snickered, thoroughly enjoying Raph's light blush. The oldest huffed, looking to the side, before grabbing Mikey, and lightly pinning him to the floor.

"WRESTLING!" Mikey yelled, looking to Leo and smiling. "Your turn, Papa Blue!"

This time, it was Leo's turn to blush, and he did so heavily, rubbing the back of his neck, and smiling bashfully. It had been almost eight years since Raph and Leo had been called those nicknames, and it made their brains stop working in ways they couldn't comprehend. As if Mikey's nicknames had cast some sort of spell. Which was honestly a bit unnerving.

"Hey, Miguel? How come you're using that name? I thought you got over that, like, eight years ago." Leo inquired, lying across Mikey in a lazy attempt at keeping the younger pinned down.

"Because I love you! I love my big brothers! All of you! Raphie, Don-Don, and Papa Blue all together!" Mikey cheered.

Once this was said, Splinter walked into the living room, humming and grunting as he crawled onto his chair.

"Daddy!" Mikey gasped happily, earning a surprised- and somewhat concerned -grunt in return.

"Dude, what is  _with you today?_ I mean, I'm not against this, Pizza Supreme strike me down if I was, but... it makes me a little uncomfortable." Leo muttered.

"But... why?" Mikey asked, looking up to Leo, and flashing the largest, brightest blue puppy eyes any of the family had ever witnessed.

"N...no reason." Leo muttered.

"Oh, okay!" Mikey chimed, hugging Leo close, and blowing Raph and Splinter kisses. "Perfect."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Headcanon that Mikey can somehow control his brothers with cuteness. *^*


	40. Just Gonna Study

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Studying is an essential part of making good grades in school!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read the title. You should know what's gonna go down.

"No."

"Raph, we'll just be studying."

"No."

"But we  _need_ to be ready for this test!"

"No."

"Raph,  _please?!"_

"No."

"Ugh...! Hey, Leo-"

_" **NO.** "_

Mikey groaned, storming out of the kitchen, and into his room, huffing before pulling out his phone. With a frown, Mikey scrolled through his contacts, finding Colton's number, and starting a new conversation.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Orange-Tart: They said no._

_Stripes: That sucks. How are we gonna study?_

_Orange-Tart: We could always meet up at the pizzeria._

_Stripes: Nah, they'd notice._

_Orange-Tart: Well then what should we do?_

_Stripes: ...Ooh! We should meet up in your room!_

_Orange-Tart: No offense, sweetie, but they'll notice you blatantly walking into the lair._

_Stripes: I dunno, you haven't noticed that I'm already in your room yet._

_\---------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Mikey then blinked, looking around, and rolling his eyes as he noticed Colton sitting in a nearby art box. Colton smiled, crawling out of the box, and onto Mikey's hammock, sitting next to Mikey, and placing a sweet kiss on his cheek.

"So, since I'm here now, I guess we should go ahead and study." Colton chimed, grabbing a paper that the boys had been given as practice, and looking over it. "Alright, so... if a couple plans on having a baby, and the father has the traits of red hair and blue eyes, with a family history of blonde hair and green eyes, while the mother has the traits of brown hair and brown eyes, with the family history of blond hair and brown eyes, what are the chances of the baby having brown hair and green eyes?"

"Hmm... I think I have a better question." Mikey replied, earning a playful eye roll.

"That being?"

"If I just so happen to be in the same room with my boyfriend, and our eight month anniversary arrives in less than four minutes, what are the chances of my present being something I'd never forget?"

Colton chuckled, shaking his head, and throwing the paper down, pushing Mikey down onto the hammock.

"Looks like we'll have to find out in three minutes and twenty seconds~"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay Mikey. I've been thinking about it, and I've talked to April. I  _guess_ I've been a little harsh about your relationship with Colton. So, if you really need him to come study with you, I'll allow it." Raph sighed, standing with his back to Mikey's room. "Mikey? Are you even in th- WHAT IN THE NAME OF EVERY VILLAIN ON EARTH?!"

"RAPH?! GET OUT OF HERE!" Mikey screamed, blushing heavily as he watched Raph do so. "Holy cheese, this was such a bad idea."

"Was it, though? I mean, we could still fin-"

"SHUT UP!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Raph? Are you okay?" April asked worriedly, trying to figure out why the Snapper was sitting in a corner stiffly.

Before anything could be said- if anything were to be said at all -Colton walked out of the lair, being forced to walk through the living room in order to do so. With a brow raised, April watched as Mikey followed, a bit of a waddle in his walk. A few seconds of contemplation later, and April came to the horrifying realization.

"Oh my gosh. They really did it." April muttered.

"Who did what?" Leo inquired as he walked into the living room, confused as April started to cackle.

"Oh my gosh! Mikey and Colton got it  _ON!"_   April loudly announced. "Oh man! This is priceless!"

Leo spoke not a word, blank faced as he followed after the two teens, loud, scolding shouts being heard from the Slider as he caught up to them. April continued to laugh, Raph stayed in the corner, and Mikey and Colton were being chased by Leo with a belt...

Whilst Donnie had just returned from the junkyard.


	41. The Big Ray

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey accidentally uses a growth ray on himself while playing with Donnie's stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As requested by Ryo-Chan Wolfgirl:
> 
> Can you do one where Mikey is accidentally exposed to a growth ray?

"Where are you? I'm gonna get you, ya little Cheeto! I'll gobble you up when I find you!" Leo shouted, looking around the lair for Mikey.

The two brothers had started a game of Hide-and-Seek, which had been going on for around an hour now. This, of course, was mainly due to Mikey's ability to literally fit almost  _anywhere_. So, while Leo looked around the living room, Mikey snickered, covering his mouth as he hid behind one of Donnie's large inventions. So much certainty in the fact that he'd never be found, eventually drove Mikey to become somewhat bored, and he looked around the workshop. Nothing had currently interested the tiny teen, so he decided that he might as well stop looking, until he felt his foot tap what looked like a-

"Ooh! A Nerf gun! Leo! We could play Cops!" Mikey cheered, closing his eyes, and aiming the gun in a random direction, pulling the trigger, and opening his eyes at the loud  _Thump!_ he received.

Not too long after, Mikey was hit with the laser that the gun had shot out, and he fell to the floor with a yelp, recovering from his shock slowly, and shaking his head. With a soft groan, Mikey sat up, rubbing his head. As he regained his normal vision, Mikey looked to the mirror, freezing as he was met with the odd sight of an entirely different turtle. This mutant turtle was  _nothing_ like Mikey. He was taller, looked more built, and looked  _much more mature_. Somewhat like Raph, but not.

"Ho-ly cheese..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Alright Mikey! You win! Come on out!" Leo shouted, having become frustrated with his brother's ability to hide so well. "Come on Miguel! Where are you? My sweet, adorable little- _TALL BOI! GIANT TALL BOI!"_

"SHH! SHH, SHH! SHUT UP!" Mikey shouted, placing a hand over Leo's mouth, and receiving a frightened whimper.

"Mm mm-mm m mm." Leo muttered.

"What?" Mikey replied, moving his hand back.

"You're 6'4 now." Leo repeated.

"I'm taller than Raph!" Mikey gasped.

"Yeah, he's  _not_ gonna like this." Leo chuckled. "Neither will Donnie. Mainly because you most obviously used one of his inventions."

"Hush up. I can still hide." Mikey whispered. "Like a panther..."

"...But, where?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Miguel, this ain't gonna work." Leo sighed, watching as Mikey stood behind a decorative faux tree.

"Shh! It won't if you keep talking to me! Who talks to a fake plant?" Mikey retorted.

"No offense, bud, but uh... your sides are still poking out. And you're taller than the plant." Leo pointed out.

"Damn it."

With a snicker, Leo opened his mouth to say something, pausing as he heard Raph's shouting. Rolling his eyes, Leo sat down on Splinter's chair, grabbing the remote, and flipping through random channels on the TV.

"Raph, for the  _eighth time_ , there is  _no such thing as-_ why is a giant version of Mikey hiding behind a potted plant?" Donnie asked, he and Raph looking to Leo for answers.

"Oh, I dunno  _how_ he got like that, but I know  _why_ he's hiding." Leo responded. "Poor little big boy's scared of you being mean to him. Aren't you?"

"No! Stop teasing me!" Mikey whined, gently moving the plant. "Raph! Tell Leo to stop being mean!"

Raph said nothing, he and Donnie staring at Mikey in shock. This only lasted for a few seconds, before Mikey burst into tears, being surrounded by his brothers immediately.

"I'm a big monster now! You don't want me here!" Mikey sobbed, feeling awkward as he was hugged tightly.

"Mikey, we love you, no matter how big or small." Raph assured, wiping away a few of Mikey's tears. "No need to worry."

"So, you aren't scared of new me?" Mikey inquired.

"Oh no, we're  _terrified_ , but we'll get over it." Donnie replied.

"What? Why can't you just change him back?" Leo asked.

"Because I need to build a ray to return him to his original state."

"And that should take how long?"

"A few years."

"WHAT?!"

"Nah, I'm just kidding. It'll take an hour or two."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Alright, ready to be changed back, Michael?"

Mikey nodded vigorously, sitting down atop a small table. At that, Donnie pressed a button on the small ray he'd created, watching as a small beam hit Mikey, and smiling proudly as Mikey's form slowly started to return to its original size. Three seconds passed, and Mikey was finally back to his original self, squealing and hopping up and down before rushing up to Donnie, and knocking them both to the ground.

"THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU SO MUCH! I LOVE YOU LIKE A BROTHER!" Mikey cheered.

"We  _are_ brothers!" Donnie laughed, wrinkling his snout in response to having it pressed by Mikey's.

"That makes things ten times better!" Mikey gasped.

"I hear happiness! Is my smol brother back?" Leo asked. "Yep! There he is!"

Leo walked up to his brothers on the floor, sitting next to them, and joining in the hug. Right behind him, Raph scooped the trio up, all four of them laughing and trilling in celebration of such a small event. Though, it didn't really seem small to them, in a strange way. It was as if the event were as big as a birthday, as if it was as big as a graduation.

The event was big. Because Mikey was once again small.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof. I'm not good with requests. Hope y'all like this one.


	42. Not Like a Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finding out that Splinter is Lou Jitsu, Mikey starts to become a bit distant, and his family desperately wants to know why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Sad baby snoot wiggles ahead.

"Hey, bud. I brought you a sandwich. PB & J, your favorite." Leo whispered, walking into Mikey's room with a saddened smile.

Mikey simply sighed in response, looking down at his hands in what seemed like defeat. It had been two hours since the brothers returned home from their battle with Draxum and the Foot, but everything still passed through everyone's heads like it had only been two seconds. Once they'd gotten home, the brothers- or, Raph, Donnie, and Leo to be specific -started nagging Splinter to explain the current goings-on, while Mikey simply slinked into his room. No one noticed this until a few minutes later, and didn't question it until Mikey refused to come out to eat, skateboard, or hang out in general.

"You gotta eat, Mikey. It might help you feel better." Leo sighed, placing a hand on Mikey's shoulder.

"...Just put it on the desk and leave." Mikey huffed, an angry look on his face.

Though, both brothers knew that Mikey was just trying to mask his sadness.

"Being grounded won't last forever-"

"I'M NOT UPSET BECAUSE WE'RE FUCKING GROUNDED!" Mikey screamed, pushing Leo back and onto the floor. "JUST GET OUT OF HERE!"

"Mikey-"

**_"GO!"_ **

Nothing else needed to be said from there, as Leo scrambled to his feet, racing into the kitchen, and panting. This earned the Slider looks of both confusion and annoyance, as no one else had heard Mikey's screams. Somehow.

"What did you break now?" Donnie asked, lip curling in anger.

"I didn't break anything! I was just trying to feed Mikey, and he basically  _forced me_ out of his room!" Leo replied, his face relaying the clear shock that he was still feeling. "I don't  _think_ I did something to offend him, all I did was offer him a sandwich!"

"Michael displaying unexplained bursts of unprovoked anger? Strange." Donnie muttered, leaning against a wall and thinking.

"I've  _never_ seen him  _that upset_. Not even when we fought that band!" Leo shouted. "It was if... as if he had assumed I was trying to make him feel bad."

"Maybe he'll react better if one of us talks to him." Raph suggested.

"I doubt it. He'll just get angrier." Donnie responded. "All of us pressing at once will no doubt leave him skittish."

"Well what are we supposed to do, then?" Leo asked.

"I know! We could offer to give him whatever he wants!" April suggested.

"What if he asks for the ability to go topside?" Donnie asked, raising a brow.

"Right..." April sighed.

Awkward silence then rang throughout the kitchen, and the teens each gave constant suggestions, resulting in every way each suggestion could fail. Awkwardness then turned into frustration, and frustration into anger, which eventually led to the teens arguing about anything other than Mikey. Meanwhile, Splinter was listening in on the group, and he sighed, thinking back to his Lou Jitsu days, and lying his ears back.

"My children will never completely forgive me, but I might as well try to win the little bit of forgiveness they can give." Splinter stated to himself, walking to his youngest son's room first. "Orange-"

"What are  _you_ doing in here, traitor?" Mikey hissed, surprising Splinter with a passion. "Why aren't you out there, fighting bad guys without us, the kids you refused to teach, even after all of these years of having the  _CAPABILITY TO DO SO?!"_

Splinter flinched, taking a deep breath before continuing towards his son. "Orange, I would like to apologize for not telling you the truth. I admit, that it was reckless and selfish of me to keep my secret from you, but you must not let your anger overcome your true nature."

"How am I supposed to know what my true nature is anymore? Who am I even supposed to  _be?_ Am I some random mutated turtle? Am I the "son" of Lou Jitsu? Am I even important anymore? I'm the  _youngest fucking child!_ How could I contribute to anything?! I mean, according to Donnie, I'm a clumsy kangaroo who needs a padded suit so I don't hurt myself, according to Raph, I'm a baby who always needs to be coddled, and according to Leo, I'm just a little  _bitch_ who's scared of everything!"

Once he was sure that his son's rant was finished, Splinter shook his head. "My son, I understand where you are coming from, you feel betrayed, you feel used. But I am  _highly disappointed_ in both of those facts. Your brothers  _love you_ , and they think these things of you- mind the cursing -because they each want their own reason to care for you. And, if you  _must know_ , I lied to you, to keep you from becoming overconfident. Just because you have my blood in your DNA, does  _not_ mean that you are me. If I had told you sooner, you and your brothers would be  _dead by now_."

"...If you had told us sooner, we would have been trained and ready to properly defend ourselves by now." Mikey replied sharply, hugging himself as tears began falling from his eyes. "You  _knew_ how much we looked up to him... to  _you_... but you never trusted us enough to tell us the truth? What kind of father are you?"

"The kind that hoped his sons would love him, despite his famous title." Splinter replied, taking notice of Mikey's soft gasp. "Michelangelo, you know that I love you, and I know that you love me. Please, once again, do not let your anger consume your true nature."

Mikey said nothing, snout wiggling rapidly as he thought over his father's words.

"If you need some help, I will tell you: You, are Michelangelo, son of I, Splinter, formerly known as Lou Jitsu. You are the youngest of four brothers, and you bring happiness to your family. You are imaginative, sensitive, and the pride and joy of every ally you come across. You help to keep our spirits up when we are down, and you know exactly what to say when your brothers are upset. You, Michelangelo, are perhaps the bravest child that I have ever known. And you are so much more than what you think you are. You can be what you and your brothers have always wanted to be. And maybe even more."

A soft sob filled the short silence between Splinter's assurance, before Mikey hopped out of his hammock, pulling Splinter into a tight hug, and wailing aloud, drawing in his brothers and April.

"I'm so sorry!" Mikey shouted, accepting the family hug he and Splinter were wrapped in.

"You don't need to be." Leo replied. "It's kind of hard to stay mad at you anyways. Dad, on the other hand? We're kinda gonna be mad as long as they put pineapples on pizza."

"But, pops didn't mean to lie!" Mikey whined, snout wriggling even faster as he sent the biggest puppy eyes to his brothers that he ever had in his life.

"Don't worry, Miguel. I was just kidding."

At that, Mikey laughed sadly, leaning forward and bumping his forehead against Leo's, pressing his snout against Donnie's, accepting the gentle nuzzle he received from Raph, and giggling at the kiss he got from April. Splinter watched the scene in fond happiness, closing his eyes, and smiling widely.

He also growled in surprise and slight distaste as he was licked on the cheek repeatedly by the child he had just consoled.


	43. Fishing Dayz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems as if Mikey has his own special way of fishing.

"And so, once your hook is baited, you want to pull the rod back lightly, and cast out. Make sure it sinks as far as the weight will take it, before locking your reel. When you see or feel a fish pull, it is advised to pull your rod up quickly before reeling the fish in. Got it?"

Mikey nodded, holding his fishing rod, and watching as Donnie went through a demonstration. Patiently, Mikey climbed onto his stomach, lying at the edge of the deck, and watching the line intensely. It took around five minutes, but a fish finally bit down, and Donnie went through the motions he'd explained. While this happened, Mikey watched with great intrigue, gasping as he witnessed the fish leap out of the water, flopping around before disappearing into the pond once more, ripples of struggle and vigor following the fish until it was brought onto the deck.

"Whoa! That's a good one!" Mikey gasped.

"It's only a Bluegill." Donnie chuckled, taking the fish off the hook, and tossing it back into the pond.

"Hey! Why'd you do that?" Mikey asked, looking to see if he could find where the fish had gone.

"This pond has strict rules. Catch and release only." Donnie replied, casting his line once more.

"But we caught it fair and square!" Mikey whined.

"That may be true, but there are too little fish in here for us to- MICHAEL!"

Mikey squealed, diving into the water, and doggie paddling his way towards the center of the pond. Luckily enough for the brothers, there were no humans around, as most of them rarely ever fished at 1:23 in the morning. Still, there were  _plenty of dangers_ in the pond, and Donatello wasn't willing to risk his brother catching a deadly disease.

"Michelangelo! You come here right now! Mikey, come! Get over here!" Donnie ordered, rushing onto the edge of the bank, and following the path of his brother, literally unable to jump into the pond. Without taking off his battle shell, anyways. And he wasn't planning on doing  _that_ anytime soon.

"I'm just gonna get our fish!" Mikey shouted back, head barely poking out of the surface of the water. "There it is!"

At that, Mikey took it upon himself to dive farther into the water, scaring Donatello to death. Five seconds of no sound or sight of orange nearly drove the Softshell crazy, and he let out a huge breath of relief as Mikey resurfaced, fish in his mouth as he made his way to the edge of the bank, climbing out, and shaking off, standing and spitting the fish into his hands.

"His name is Jerry!" Mikey giggled, holding the flopping fish tightly.

Donnie groaned, discomfort clear on his face as he looked down at the small fish, which was quickly dying of lack of its own form of oxygen. Before the Softshell could point this out, however, Mikey took notice of the fact, and he started to freak out, looking around for anything to fill with water, and cheering as he noticed a conveniently placed bowl. Rushing over to the bowl, Mikey picked it up, running to the pond, filling the bowl with water, and placing his new pet pond fish in it. The small fish- or, Jerry -then started swimming once more, and the youngest of the pair cheered.

"Time for more fishing!"

"Michael, wait!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Raph! Leo! I got five new pet fishes!" Mikey announced, walking into the lair proudly.

"Mikey, it's not a pluralized version of fish unless mentioning multiple species." Donnie reminded, his tone tired and done.

"So, fish?"

"Correct."

"Oh... Raph! Leo! I got five new pet fish!" Mikey then corrected, running into the kitchen. "This one is Jerry, then Bob, then Frida, then Coral, then Cheetos Snacks!"

"Wow! They're so pretty Miguel! Why don't we go get them a bigger bowl, yeah?" Leo suggested, leading Mikey towards a nearby cupboard.

"They're all dead." Raph whispered.

"I know." Donnie sighed. "Just, don't tell him that. It'll leave us sleepless for the next few days."

"Uhm... why is your-"

"Do you know how generally  _disgusting_ it is to groom our baby brother, after he's jumped into a parasite infested pond?  _FIVE TIMES_ , mind you?" Donnie hissed, earning a very visible cringe. "Exactly, now if you will excuse me, I'm gonna go chug two entire bottles of mouth wash."

"GUYS! JERRY'S HAVING BABIES!"

"Eugh..."


	44. Really Fun Idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey encourages Leo to go and mess with a few villains.
> 
> Things don't end too well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reference should be obvious.

"Leo! You wanna come with me to see something really cool?" Mikey asked softly.

"Aren't we grounded, though?" Leo replied, looking to Mikey, who was sitting atop Splinter's chair.

"So?"

"Good point."

The pair then laughed, Mikey leaping down onto Leo, before the two stood, beginning to run out of the lair, and stopping once Donnie started to walk towards them. Slowly, Mikey and Leo turned, pretending to have been playing tag.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Leo inquired.

"Hold on, I'm thinking." Mikey replied, neither brother noticing when Donnie walked up behind them.

A minute or two passed, before Donnie cleared his throat, scaring Mikey and Leo out of their wits. With a snicker, the Softshell asked what his brothers were talking about, to which they stated that they had simply been talking about training. Not believing the obvious lie, Donnie rolled his eyes, looking at his wrist, and smiling at the time that flashed on his electronic wristband.

"Uh-oh, it's 12:24~" Donnie sang playfully, sending a mischievous glance to Mikey, who stiffened.

"What's so important about the time?" Leo asked.

"12:25 is when Donnie thoroughly enjoys embarrassing me." Mikey simply huffed.

"Which is the current time." Donnie chimed, picking Mikey up, and walking over to Splinter's chair, sitting down, and looking over Mikey's face. "Your face seems to be clean enough, scales are perfectly intact, a few- oh! Hold on! I knew it."

Yelping, Mikey attempted to run off, growling and complaining as his loose scales were promptly eased and bitten off. Leo snickered at the sight, looking to the side with a smirk as Mikey sent a venomous glare.

"Donnie! Stop it! You're messing up my bandana!" Mikey whined, pushing Donnie's face back, and plopping onto the floor. "Okay, I'm clean. Can Leo and I go now?"

"Go... where?" the twins asked simultaneously.

"Oh, nowhere special. Just a stroll around the sewers." Mikey replied, wiping his face and straightening his bandana.

"Seriously? That doesn't seem very fun." Leo muttered.

"I'll tell you the truth when we get there..." Mikey whispered through gritted teeth, smiling at the soft 'oh' of recognition he received. "So, can we?"

"Hmm... I guess." Donnie sighed, unimpressed with the loud, somewhat overexaggerated cheers he earned. " _But_ , if dad finds out, or if you aren't back by 3:30, both of you are gonna owe me."

Mikey and Leo nodded, eagerly walking away, and snickering. As they walked, they whispered and muttered about how they couldn't believe they'd gotten away so easily. However, Donnie had known that something was going to go down, and he smirked to himself as he bet that the two would be back  _way before_ 3:30.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, where are we  _really_ going?" Leo asked, waiting for Mikey to explain as the two sat atop a building.

"I saw Hypno and Meat Sweats walking into an alleyway, and I wanted to check it out." Mikey replied, pointing to the alley in which he'd noticed the two at first.

"Sweet! A mission without our older brothers? Count me in!" Leo shouted, he and Mikey jumping down onto the street, staying in the shadows as they made their ways into the alley. "See anything?"

"It's almost pitch black. I need some light." Mikey whispered back.

A sharp crack then rang through the alley, and Mikey hummed, thanking Leo for lighting a match.

"Miguel?"

"Yeah?"

"That... wasn't me..."

Gulping, both brothers turned around, screaming and holding onto each other as they were confronted by Hypno, Meat Sweats, and Repo.

"Oh, what are you two doing here? And by yourselves, no less?" Hypno inquired, earning snickers from the other villains.

Mikey whimpered, whilst Leo hissed, the two backing up farther into the alley. This action only drove the villains closer, and Mikey snorted before letting out a pathetic roar. Leo facepalmed, and the villains cackled.

"That was all you have? Oh come on, you can do better. Let's hear you do another one." Hypno taunted, pulling out his rings.

Taking in a deep breath, Mikey attempted another sound, and everyone was genuinely surprised when a loud growl rang throughout the alley. Before anything could be said or done, however, Raph and Donnie were beating the villains into pulps, chasing the mutants away easily, and looking to their younger brothers after doing so. Leo pursed his lips, humming before pointing to Mikey, earning a betrayed 'Hey!' in response.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, did you have fun on your short-lived expedition?" Donnie teased, giving Mikey no time to respond, before removing another patch of shedding scales.

"We just wanted to have fun." Leo muttered, as the same was being done to him by Raph.

"Yes, well, you mustn't confuse praise for license." Donnie advised. "Never lie to us, unless you want to be in another situation such as this."

"Pfft, we certainly did learn  _that much_ , that's for sure."

"What was that?"

"OW! OW! I'M SORRY!" Leo screamed, earning an amused giggled from Mikey.

The younger's happiness was short lived, however, before a patch of shedding scales was snatched off, a sizzling pain being in place of them. Crying in response, Mikey sniffled in response to having the smarted area gently licked, hugging closer to Donnie.

"Kiss-up." Leo muttered.

"Do you  _want_ to lose more of these?" Raph asked, tugging at a patch of healthy scales playfully.

"No-no! No! Just... nevermind." Leo replied, growling in awkward discomfort as he was given a hug as well. "Big brothers are a bother sometimes."

"Eh, I'm just glad that I get free kisses." Mikey chimed.

"Once again; you're a kiss-up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder if mutual preening would be a thing if real turtles actually lived in small groups. :o


	45. Bonding Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey attempts to get his brothers and boyfriend to bond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My word, I feel like I'm gettin' a little pushy with the whole Mikey x Colton thing. >.>

"My favorite constellation is Pegasus. I like how the backstory fits in with its majesty." Mikey chimed, holding Colton's arms close as the pair lay back in Mikey's hammock. "Your fur is soft, by the way."

"I know. You tell me every time we cuddle." Colton chuckled, tail pulling forward to give Mikey a sort of blanket. "And you have beautiful scales."

"Hmm. I find it weird to talk nice about scales."

"And I don't find it weird to talk nice about fur?"

"Touché."

Both males then snickered, moving closer, and sighing happily. Soft, familiar hums filled the room, and Mikey twirled a strand of fur on Colton's chest, before using a claw to trace the black mark on Colton's forehead. The older male purred, licking Mikey's snout, and earning a giggle in response. The two then hugged closer, Mikey running a hand along Colton's side, huffing as he got a soft, scolding nip.

"Your brothers would kill us." Colton reminded, intertwining his fingers with Mikey's, so as to keep the younger's hands occupied.

"Yeah. They're so overprotective." Mikey sighed, nuzzling into Colton's neck.

"I think it's a decent amount of protectiveness. They just have a tendency to overdo it sometimes."

"Sometimes?"

"Okay, usually."

A soft chuckle escaped Mikey, and he shifted so that he could kiss his lover sweetly. The action was returned, and lasted a good three seconds before the once partaken cuddling resumed. Tiny, occasional giggles erupted from Mikey, and Colton responded by tickling the younger with his whiskers, starting a new wave of happy trills and squeaks. These sounds, unsurprisingly, drew the attention of Donnie, whom had been walking past Mikey's room for whatever reason.

"And what, if I may ask, is going on in here?" the Softshell inquired.

"Oh, hey Dee! Colton and I are just cuddling." Mikey replied, sitting up and smiling at his older brother.

"Hmm. Well, as long as you aren't breaking any rules." Donnie chimed, turning around and sneering before walking off.

"He didn't seem very happy." Mikey hummed, looking to Colton and sighing. "Sweetie, I get that you and my brothers don't get along, but could you  _please_ stop being so condescending?"

Colton growled, ears flat as he avoided eye contact with Mikey, needing to take a few deep breaths, lest he accidentally spew out a few choice words about Mikey's brothers.

"Colton-"

"I'M NOT... trying to be condescending." Colton hissed, sitting up as well, and massaging his temple. "I'm sorry baby. I just absolutely  _hate it_ when those sons of bitches-"

"Hey!"

"Sorry! When... _your brothers_... treat me like a useless sponge."

"Ugh... how long are you four going to keep this schtick up? I hate seeing you fight so much. Need I remind you that my brothers are trained ninjas?" Mikey sighed, petting Colton's cheek lightly.

"Uh-huh. They could  _totally_ take me down." Colton scoffed sarcastically.

"Y'know what? That's it." Mikey huffed, gripping Colton's hand, and dragging the Yokai out of the room. The two then ended up in the main atrium of the lair, where Raph and the twins were casually hanging out. Key word,  _were_.

"What'd he do to ya Mikey?! Do we need to teach this little scumbag a lesson?!" Raph shouted, glaring daggers into Colton's face.

"No! This rude behavior between you four is going to stop, and it's going to stop now! If I'm going to be in a relationship,  _you three_ have to learn to respect my partner!" Mikey shouted, elbowing Colton as soon as the older started to snicker. "As for  _you_ , there are plenty of things you could work on as well. So, without further ado, I now announce the bonding exercise to begin!"

"Oh boy."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Alright, the first exercise we will commence, is... Truth or Dare!" Mikey cheered, clapping his hands together happily.

"What?" Leo asked sharply, earning a gentle slap on the arm.

"Humor him." Donnie advised.

"Fine. Who's going first?"

"I volunteer as tribute!" Raph shouted, all of the boys snickering as they each put up three fingers, kissing their hands, and raising them respectively. "Alright, Colton, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth." Colton responded, no sign of fear in his tone or body language.

"Alright, is it true that you stole Mikey's favorite shirt last week?" Raph inquired.

"Wait,  _what?_   Colton, I was looking  _everywhere_ for that shirt! Why would you take it?!" Mikey asked, hurt clear in his voice.

"Because he's a thief, and that's probably not the only thing he's stolen." Leo scoffed.

"That's not the reason!" Colton groaned, tail swishing in frustration. "I took the shirt when the previous queen of my branch of the family passed. I couldn't calm down, and the only thing that truly comforts me is you. So, I came over, and you weren't here. I thought of going back, but I found one of your shirts, and took it with me. It helped me sleep that night."

"Aww! That's so sweet! But, why didn't you just tell me, sweetheart?"

"I didn't want to look weak." Colton replied, looking to the floor.

"Colton, emotions aren't weakness. They're strength in disguise. A guy who isn't afraid to admit when he's upset, is a guy I'm willing to spend the rest of my life with." Mikey assured.

Leo mock gagged, his action being mimicked by Donnie, who was honestly just as disgusted. It was already bad enough that Colton was taking Mikey from them! But, for Mikey to be so lovey-dovey sweet towards him? That made things ten times worse!

"Guys, please. I'm trying to get you to bond, and that won't happen if you refuse to give Colton a chance. And vice-versa." Mikey commented, crossing his arms.

"Look, I understand why you want us to bond, but it just isn't gonna happen. We hate him, he hates us. End of story." Leo replied. "I'd rather see him as roadkill."

"Or as a fur coat." Raph chuckled.

"Or as a stuffed decoration for a rich woman." Donnie suggested.

"You three are  _such delights_ to be around." Colton scoffed.

"We try." Raph, Donnie, and Leo simultaneously replied.

With a growl, Colton launched himself at the trio of older brothers, starting an almost literal catfight. Offensive names were spewed, screams of pain were let out, and the occasional sound of claw on skin filled the air. Meanwhile, Mikey frowned, saying nothing as he stood, walking to his room, grabbing a book, and crawling into his hammock. Reading wasn't necessarily the best method for Mikey to calm down, but there really was no other current way.

While he read, it didn't take long for Colton to notice the lack of a scolding voice, and he wiggled his way out of the fight, looking for Mikey, and sighing as he found no close trace of the small turtle. Not taking the time to explain, Colton made his way into Mikey's room, easily hopping onto the hammock, and sitting down, waiting to see if he would get even a huff of acknowledgement. None came, so Colton lie down, saying nothing, even as Mikey began petting him absentmindedly.

A minute or two passed, before Mikey sighed heavily, placing the book down, and letting a stream of tears fall, shifting so that he could bury his face into Colton's fur, and sobbing quietly. Colton smiled lightly, making no move to stop the action, and simply purring in response to the gentle kiss on the cheek he received.

"You guys can be so mean to each other sometimes." Mikey whimpered. "I don't want you to keep hurting each other."

"I know, baby. But, you gotta admit, having four guys who love you with all of their hearts in one territory? Not the best idea." Colton teased, mentally cheering as he earned a genuinely amused giggle. "They just want what's best for you. And so do I."

"Why don't you just say that to each other, then?" Mikey inquired.

"Because we're stupid old men." Colton replied.

Smiling, Mikey cuddled closer to Colton, the two nuzzling for a good while before looking up to see the others, standing over them with happy- somewhat proud -smiles.

"Fine, we'll be nice." Leo sighed. "As long as that'll stop your crying."

"Can we all bake cookies together?" Mikey asked hopefully.

"Do you want 'em burnt?" Raph replied.

"Fair enough." Mikey muttered, smiling and squealing as he was hugged by his brothers. "I love you guys. But, none more than the others."

The quintet then all sighed with relief, staying close, and enjoying the short moment.

"Okay, I love you guys, but I gotta pee."


	46. As a Hatchling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys discuss a time when Mikey was much more aggressive.

"Whoa. Look at that one!" Mikey chimed, pointing to a picture in the family scrapbook, which depicted a five year old Leo running around whilst on fire. "Who did that?"

"You." Raph, Donnie, and Leo all replied.

"What?! Why would I set Leo on fire?!" Mikey asked, hugging Leo close and trying to think over reasons.

"Believe it or not, you were actually a  _really mean hatchling_." Leo muttered, patting Mikey's head reassuringly. "That isn't the only thing you did."

"Hey, now that I think about it, it kinda seems like Mikey used to be meaner to Leo more than anyone else." Raph pointed out.

"Heheh, that's because of Michael's innate ability to know when someone is a douchebag." Donnie chuckled dryly.

"You son-of-a-bitch." Leo growled, calming down as Mikey placed a hand over his face.

"Tell me stories." Mikey huffed, wanting to learn about how he used to act.

"Alrighty then, let's go back to when you were four..."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"And here, Michael, is the constellation Leo."

"I always knew that I was famous. And now, I have a consultation named after me to prove it!" Leo shouted, sauntering into the kitchen proudly.

"First of all, it's constellation. Secondly, no one likes you. Thirdly, see firstly." Donnie scoffed.

Leo sent a snarky scowl in return, before looking to Mikey and smiling. The four year old hissed, lying his head down, and yawning. Pouting, Leo crossed his arms, standing still for a few seconds before pushing past his petty anger, and walking up to his brothers.

"Oh, c'mon you two! I just wanna hang out! We can be like best friends on a hot day!"

"That makes  _no sense_ , Leon."

" _You_ make no sense, Don A. Tello."

"I should murder you just for that statement."

"I should murder me just for the kick of it."

"You can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Because then you'd be gone."

"So?"

"...I'd miss you."

Smiling, Leo punched his twin's shoulder, both brothers chuckling, before Mikey sank his teeth into Leo's arm. The young Slider screamed, trying to push Mikey back, and sobbing as his attempts were to no avail. Donnie simply watched, wide eyed as the situation escalated, Mikey taking it upon himself to start  _eating Leo's arm_.

"RAPH! GET THIS MONSTER OFF ME!" Leo squealed, waving his arms around and continuing to scream, even after Mikey was pulled away.

"He's off, idiot." Donnie muttered.

"AAAAAA- I knew that." Leo replied. "I was just testing you."

"For what reason, exactly?" Donnie inquired, his question being cut short by Mikey's insistent growling.

"Did anyone feed him this morning?" Raph asked, looking to the twins with confusion.

"Yeah, normal time, normal food." Donnie responded. "Maybe he just wants to play."

"Is that it, Mike? Does our little baby want to play?" Raph playfully asked.

Mikey cheered, clapping his hands together. With equally mischievous smirks, Raph and Donnie looked to Leo, who said nothing and raced off.

"Looks like Leo wants to play tag! You wanna play tag? Hmm? Wanna play tag?"

"REEEEEEEE!"

"...I think he wants to play tag."

Raph snickered, placing Mikey's feet on the ground, but keeping hold of the tiny terrapin's sides. "Alright, let's give him a few seconds' more of a head start. In three... two... one..."

"RELEASE THE BABY!" Donnie screamed, watching and laughing as Raph did so.

Sounds of crashing and wails of fear could be heard from the main atrium, and the two eldest brothers burst into laughter. This process continued on for six agonizing minutes, before Leo let out a squeal of what was nothing short of undeniable pain.

"BOOOOOOYYYYYS!" Splinter screamed.

"Uh-oh..."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wait, so lemme get this straight; I was a complete and utter  _asshole_ to Leo, and you two did  _nothing to stop that?_ _"_   Mikey asked incredulously, completely appalled by the mention of his brothers' honestly terrible fraternal skills.

"Eh... none of us were really the nicest of kids." Donnie hummed nonchalantly.

"Yeah, easy for him to say. He's the one who broke my arm." Leo scoffed.

"You broke your arm, because of your terrible observation skills." Donnie replied sharply.

"Boys, can we all agree that we were just terrible kids in general?" Raph suggested.

"Hmm. Fine by me." Leo chimed.

"...Sure." Donnie agreed.

Mikey smiled, leaning into his brothers' holds, and nuzzling close to them.

"I love you guys. No matter how mean you can be sometimes." Mikey giggled.

Raph, Donnie, and Leo all smiled, hugging closer to each other. Until Donnie aggressively nudged Leo to the side.

"Yeah. We love you too." the Slider sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :O
> 
> Look at all this tea!


	47. Self Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An intervention is called.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dedicated to Alexa, whose comments on "Chapter 34: Catching Up", and "Chapter 40: Just Gonna Study" make me wanna keel over and die of laughter.
> 
> *Small Edit: I have went through, and it turns out that AsterK has been leaving the comments. So, I dedicate this to them as well! Apologies, love.

"So, what's your favorite goal in math?" Mikey inquired, looking to Colton as the pair sat on the couch.

"Quadratics." Colton replied, smirking at the quiet 'gross' he got in response. "I don't get why you hate quadratics so much. They're super easy!"

"You know what else is super easy?"

"What?"

"Probability."

"The betrayal!"

Mikey laughed, lightly pushing Colton to the side. This got the small teen a shove in return, and a short wrestling match stemmed, before the boys were on the floor, giggling and kissing each other sweetly every now and then. Purrs emitted from both males, and Mikey pushed Colton away, sitting up, and squealing as he was pinned down once more. Colton gave a smug smirk, leading Mikey to growl, pushing the Yokai up again.

"I wasn't ready."

"Alrighty then." Colton chimed, getting into a pouncing position. "Whenever you are~"

A few seconds passed, before Mikey threw himself forwards, grunting in response to being dodged and pinned yet again. "ARGH! Mean!"

"It isn't my fault that you're predictable." Colton chuckled, doing nothing to stop the aggressive kiss he was pulled into.

"Did you predict that?" Mikey asked once the kiss had ended.

"Alright, fine. I take it back." Colton hummed, a dopey hint to his voice.

"Good." Mikey replied. "Now, get off. If my brothers find us like this-"

"Oh please, this isn't anything." Colton scoffed, ears pointing forward, and tail swishing as soon as those words left his mouth. "That is, unless you  _want_ to turn it into something."

"What is it about you that makes me agree to this?"

"Not sure, but you know the safe word."

"Yeah, yeah, Persimmon. I've got it. _Now kiss me, you fool~"_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey guys!" Mikey chimed, watching as his brothers walked into the kitchen with groans.

"Hey Miguel." Leo replied sleepily, yawning before plopping down onto the kitchen table.

Looking to Donnie- as Raph had fallen down and passed out -Mikey waited for an answer. With a huff, Donnie rubbed his eyes, shaking his head as he grabbed a cup, and filled it with water.

"Father had us work on our skills topside until we couldn't stand anymore. For what reason, I have no idea." Donnie explained, sitting down on the tabletop next to Leo, and sighing heavily.

"Aww! I missed a training session?! That isn't fair!" Mikey whined, crossing his arms childishly.

"Dad said it's 'cause you were busy doing something." Leo muttered.

"Oh... what, uhh, what did he say I was doing, exactly?" Mikey asked.

"I think he said somethin' 'bout a weird project. Says you were on the floor, and that's all he would give." Leo replied.

Mikey then let out a loud and huge sigh of relief, heart pounding. With that relief, however, came the terrifying revelation that Mikey and Colton had been caught. By  _Splinter_. Whom had said or did _nothing to stop them_. Then again, what are you supposed to do when you catch your youngest son...

Yeah, let's not think about that.

"What was that about?" Donnie inquired, raising a brow.

"What was what about?" Mikey replied.

"The whole... "I'm glad I didn't get caught" sigh." Leo remarked, having sat up in interest.

"Oh! That! I uh... that was just because of... uhm... well, you see, what happened was-"

"Hold on. Why is your bandana sideways?" Leo asked.

"Sideways? What do you mean? It isn't side- I don't have it on in a sideways format." Mikey responded, shifting his bandana so that it was on correctly.

"Yeah, you did." Donnie replied, brows furrowing as he too suddenly went into deep thought about the notion.

"Wait a second... Mikey's always being  _super persnickety_ about how straight his bandana is, because he doesn't like it when the sides get caught in his eyes. Before we left, Mikey's bandana was perfectly fine. So, this must have happened while we were out. No one else was here with Mikey when we left- as far as we know -who could have shifted the bandana. There's no reason for Mikey to have done this himself, and April would and should be in school. Which means that whoever came here was someone that we know, and the only other someone that we know who Mikey would be perfectly fine with touching him is- OH GOD!  _MIKEY, AGAIN?!"_

"We were in the gist of the moment! And, once again, it was all consensual!"

"It's inappropriate!" Donnie shouted, having suddenly caught on to what was happening. "Y'know what? That's it. Leon, wake up Raph. This unlicensed coitus stops  _tonight_."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So... this is like... the  _fifth time_ they've done this." April muttered, looking to Leo, who pinched his snout in frustration. "One would think that you three would be a  _lot more vigilant_ while Colton comes over."

"That's the thing, April. Raph, Donnie, and I had gone out with dad to do some training. Dad told  _us_ that Mikey was working on a project, and, now that I'm putting the pieces together, I'm pretty sure that he caught those two in the act, but didn't say anything out of shock."

"Eugh, poor Splinter." April shuddered, turning her attention to the two wrongdoers, who were sat down on the living room couch. "Is trial starting soon?"

"Yep. It starts right now." Leo replied, he and April walking into the living room to join in with the 'trial.'

"Michael, you are being accused of  _five counts_ of inappropriate and- for the fifth and final time - _illegal_ acts towards/with your so-called boyfriend." Donnie announced, looking down on a piece of paper. "And, keep in mind that this paper is completely blank. I'm just making shit up as I go."

"Is this _really_ necessary?" Colton asked, a bit confused as to why the brothers were making such a big deal of things. "I mean, Mikey's only gonna be 13 once. Might as well make the year count."

At that, Raph and Donnie sent genuinely  _horrified_ stares towards Colton, and they stood in silence, before both launching themselves at the Yokai. Meanwhile, Mikey did nothing to stop it, having also been somewhat offended by Colton's comment. The vicious attacks on Colton went on for around an hour, before the Yokai managed to slip away, fur standing on end, and tail tucked as he ran off, patches of fur falling out on the way.

"Whoa. Are you okay, Mikey?" April asked, worried that Colton's words had caused a major heartbreak.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, I'm fine." Mikey replied casually, looking to his claws and humming.

"...Why are you not crying like a baby?" Leo asked.

"Because I know that he was just trying to get out of the situation." Mikey chimed. "Though, I must admit, such a comment was very uncalled for."

"Something isn't right about this scenario..." Donnie muttered.

"Don't worry about it, guys. I promise you, when nothing crazy is going on, Colton is genuinely the  _sweetest guy in the world_. Like, seriously. He's close to  _Todd sweet_." Mikey assured, standing and stretching.

"If that's the case, then how come we haven't seen that side of him?" Raph asked.

"How come you haven't taken the time to get to know him?" Mikey responded, smirking at the- slightly guilty -looks he received. "Yeah, think about it. With that out of the way, however, I have to go get ready."

"For...  _what_ , exactly?" April asked.

"Make-up date. He's owed me one for  _weeks now_." Mikey replied. "Don't expect me home until 11:00! 11:40 at the latest!"

The others said nothing, standing in shock and trying to comprehend what had just happened. Leo then glanced to a nearby clock, left eye twitching as he saw the time.

It was 6:32.

"Oh, 11:40 at the latest, my ass."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AsterK, you have given me the funniest comments so far on chapters like this.


	48. Destructive Criticism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey learns about a new type of art critic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the artist version of Gordon Ramsay. :D

"And here, we see this marvelous piece of art, done by an unknown artist. For years, a talented soul has been coming to multiple alleys, buildings, and sidewalks, and has been making their mark. So many people have been enamored by this artists' skills, and, because of this, the local area has called in famous art critic: Bentene Cotere."

Mikey screamed excitedly, scaring everyone in the lair, and drawing them towards him, all wondering what was wrong. Upon the sight of the TV screen, however, they all groaned, rolling their eyes as they returned to what they were doing. Yes, they were aware of the fact that this was Mikey's art, but everyone had known that Mikey's art would become famous at some point. So, no one really reacted when it was announced that a well-known critic was coming to view said art.

They did react, however, to the  _choice words_ that the critic said once there.

"Please, you call  _this_ art? It is the work of a mere child! A despaired 12 year old at most! For those of you who call this priceless, I say: Au diable avec toi!" Cotere scoffed, grabbing a cup of water from her assistant, and pouring it on one of Mikey's paintings. "You worship the art not even worthy of the Sistine Chapel!"

And that did it. From that comment, stemmed the feeling of horror and heartbreak, as Mikey raced into his room, hopping onto his hammock, and sobbing loudly. Comfort wasn't too far behind, and Mikey would be lying if he said he didn't actually enjoy the milk and heavily burnt cookies he was given. None of the brothers said anything, they simply waited in silence until Mikey fell asleep.

"I swear, if you two kill that woman-"

"You never let us have any fun." Leo scoffed, tossing his ōdachi onto the floor, along with Donnie's staff.

"We will attempt to be back by 4:00." Donnie assured, he and Leo walking off.

Raph sighed, hugging Mikey closer, and wiping away a few tears that had started to slip out. Of course, from this, came another crash of sobbing, and Raph did his best to shush and trill Mikey to sleep, finding it much harder to do without the twins. It took longer for Mikey to fall back to sleep, and his stress and sadness reflected onto Raph as well.

The Snapper did his best to keep that stress and sadness inside, though.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey Mike? Could you come help me for a sec?"

"Okay Leo! Just a second!" Mikey chimed, finishing up his video game against Donnie, and smirking as he came out victorious.

Five weeks had passed since the incident with the critic, and the police  _still_ hadn't found the woman. In all honesty, Raph had become convinced that the twins had went against his word and threw the woman in the sea whilst hogtied, but he dared not to ask. Lest he be answered with an  _even worse_ answer. Beyond that, things had returned to normal, Raph being strong and sweet, Donnie being smart with his emotionless passion, Leo being the "pretty-boi" as he liked to call it, and Mikey...

It wasn't really determined what Mikey had been doing, recently.

"So, what do ya need?" Mikey asked, happily walking into the kitchen.

"I need you to help me make this cake for April. She's graduating not too long from now, and I want to make sure her cake is made by the greatest artist since his own historical double!" Leo explained, his enthusiasm slightly fading at the fallen face he received. "Mikey... you aren't still upset about-"

"No! Of course not! I just... I remembered that I have a thing to do at a place. With Raph." Mikey replied, rubbing his arm sheepishly.

"Hey, don't you do that. I see that Snoot Wiggle coming from miles away." Leo huffed, sitting down at the booth in the kitchen, and gesturing for Mikey to come closer. The younger did so, sitting on Leo's lap, and sighing heavily. "Listen to me: Donnie and I made sure that no one else would be hurt by that sad excuse for a human again. Okay?"

"...Did you throw her in the ocean like Raph thinks?" Mikey asked.

"Even better." Leo Replied. "We tied her to the top of a sailing ship. No one's noticed her yet, and we beat her to a pulp before we even put her there."

"So, she's gonna starve?"

"Or die of dehydration. Probably the latter." Leo replied.

"And Raphie doesn't know?"

"Not a bit. And we're gonna keep it that way, yeah?"

"Okay."

Leo chuckled, hugging Mikey close, and mulling over a few things. "Have you still been doing anything involving art?"

"Kinda..." Mikey replied.

"Meaning?" Leo inquired.

"Sometimes, I paint rocks." Mikey sighed. "And then I throw the rocks away."

"And why is that?"

"Because it's no good. Why else?"

With a huff of frustration, Leo shifted shifting Mikey so that the two were as eye level as possible. A serious expression was plastered onto Leo's face, and there was a "taking no shit" tone in his next words.

"Michelangelo, I am getting sick and tired of you feeling sorry for yourself. You are perhaps the  _best artist_ I have ever met, and  _nothing_ will change that. Your works are not defined by the negative reaction of some stupid critic who doesn't know what she's talking about, and it pisses me off that you believe they are."

"But, she's so famous, and-"

"I don't care! If you made a dish that you  _knew_ was worth every bit of effort you put in it, and someone like Meat Sweats told you it was gross, what would you say?"

"Well, Meat Sweats knows how to cook, probably better than I do!"

"Little boy! Meat Sweats is our  _enemy!_ Whether he loved it or not, he would never tell you the truth! It would defeat the purpose of being who he is!"

Mikey whimpered, snout wiggling as he was pulled closer.

"Stop crying. You shouldn't be so upset over one person's bad review."

"But it hurts!"

"Mikey, tell me something; is this event going to matter as much three days from now?"

"No."

"Is it going to matter as much three months from now?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Is it going to matter three years from now?"

"No..."

"Then why are you still upset?"

No response was given, and Mikey sniffled once more, before wiping his eyes. No matter how much Mikey didn't want to believe it, this one bad review wasn't going to ruin his life. Just because one person didn't like Mikey's art, doesn't mean everyone else didn't. It was useless to ponder over one negative critique, when he had been receiving hundreds of positive ones for months beforehand.

"There we go. Now, are you going to worry about this anymore?" Leo asked.

Mikey shook his head, smiling as he got a kiss on the forehead. "It doesn't matter."

"No, it doesn't. And I'm glad you see that." Leo replied softly. "So, with that out of the way, do you feel up to making this cake?"

A nod was all Leo needed for the duo to get baking, laughing and joking as if nothing had happened. From then on, Mikey generally ignored every critic who made nothing more than hate comments, and took advice from critics who  _actually gave constructive criticism_. Of course, there were still moments when Mikey got upset about a few negative comments, and they would always be met with the stern but caring treatment Leo had given before.

Raph and Donnie would help every now and then, but never could get as far as Leo could. They tried asking, but would always be met with "It's my way, stop asking me" as a response. This led to confusion, and awkward attempts of comfort when Leo was gone. But, whenever the Slider was there, Mikey knew better than to dwell on the problem for too long.

In a hilarious twist of terrible irony, however, Cotere had been found tied to the ship's mast. And, the first suspect that was on her kill list, was-

"Michael! Calm down! It's okay!"

"Why did you two tie her to a  _mast?!"_

Leo rolled his eyes, arms crossed as he sat on Splinter's chair. Four minutes passed, before Leo realized that Mikey would probably pass out due to lack of breath, so, he let out a short hiss. In response, Mikey bashfully made his way onto Leo's lap, eyes downcast as he and Leo went through their normal routine. In shock, Raph and Donnie watched intensely, taking mental notes to ensure their success with later events.

They never did succeed, though.


	49. Aftershock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even weeks after the incident, Mikey can't help but believe there are creatures worse that the Gumbus out to get him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the FNAF 4 song: Wake Up.
> 
> Also: Yay! My first songfic! Try finding the pattern! :D

_They lurk the halls every night in my mind_

_Can't tell if I'm dreaming or is this real life_

_Oh they're killing me_

_Oh you're killing me_

 

Mikey awoke with a start, panting and gasping for air, his hands wrapping around his throat as he looked around his room frantically. No sign of the terrifying creatures from his dreams. But, they honestly didn't seem like dreamed creatures. Something as horrible as a creature without a soul, without morals, and with no other sign of distinction than its physical being, was too much for Mikey to have dreamed up. Or, at least that's what he wanted to believe.

 

_My brother I'm begging you please understand_

_When I cry, I really can't take the demand_

_Oh they're killing me_

_Oh you're killing me_

 

Shudders rang through the small turtle, and he thought back to the Stock 'nd Shop. Terrible memories of the stupid robo-ghost, and how Leo unabashedly taunted Mikey for being so afraid. Though, Leo  _did_ care for Mikey's wellbeing throughout the situation. So, Mikey had to give the Slider that one.

 

_Wake up wake, up they're here_

_I can't find someone to save me_

_Wake up, wake up they're here_

_Oh, am I dreaming?_

 

A soft clatter. That was the sound that drove Mikey to look straight to the entryway of his room, pupils near nonexistent as he instinctually began to hiss. The clatter was then followed by loud, mechanical footsteps, and Mikey growled, looking around for any way to protect himself. The footsteps got closer, and Mikey finally grabbed a sharpened pencil, shaking as he awaited the arrival of the creature.

In all honesty, however, Mikey knew that a pencil would do no damage, no matter who was holding it. So, Mikey was relieved when it became apparent that Leo was the one walking into the room, watching a video on his phone about robots.

For whatever reason.

"You doin' okay, Miguel? What's with the snakes?" Leo inquired, pausing his video and tilting his head.

Shaking his head, Mikey coughed lightly, blinking so that his pupils returned to their normal state. "Nightmare." was all that he would say.

Humming, Leo accepted the answer, turning and walking away. From that, Mikey plopped back down onto his hammock, staring up at the ceiling and beginning to sob. Closed eyes from there only led to more nightmares, and each was worst than the last. Moments of being torn to pieces, mentally stripped of all sanity, and given to some unholy being raced through the head of the imaginative Box Turtle.

And it terrified him so.

 

_Wake up, wake up they're here_

_Deeply burned inside my mind_

_Wake up, wake up they're here_

_Please won't someone just save me?_

 

To sleep, but get no rest was something no one should face, let alone a 13 year old ninja. He never told his brothers, however. And he had no idea  _why_. It was as if he'd convinced himself that telling his brothers would make things worse. While he did trust and love his brothers with all of his heart, Mikey didn't want to get them involved. So silence continued to reign supreme, even as the signs of his terror became more and more evident by the day.

 

_Oh, wake me up_

_I can't wake up from this nightmare_

_Oh, wake me up_

_Can't tell if he's really there_

_Oh, wake me up_

_Searching for my way out_

_Oh, wake me up_

_Please save me_

 

"Mikey? Are you sure you're alright? You look as if you haven't slept in days."

Michelangelo looked to his genius brother, smiling in his best interest. Bags were under the poor teen's eyes, and they were beyond bloodshot. If he hadn't known any better, and if he had believed in extremities such as it, Donatello could have  _sworn_ that he saw a quick flash of a demon's smile in his baby brother. No words were said after the silent confirmation, and the two simply sat, parallel, and emotionlessly watching a movie.

One of which would have brought the utmost happiness to both of them in the past.

 

_Wake up, wake up they're here_

_I can't find someone to save me_

_Wake up, wake up they're here_

_Oh, am I dreaming?_

 

Shaking his head once again, Mikey had lost his train of thought, blinking, and freezing as he found himself on his hammock once more. Strange. Was it another dream that Mikey had went through? Was that what Donnie usually referred to as "Lucid Dreaming"? It would make sense. There was no way that Mikey could have passed out and been asleep for the past...  _three seconds???_

"What? No... No!" Mikey cried out, pretty much flopping out of his hammock as he raced to look at his clock, laughing in terror as his alarm read a strict 12:00 am. "It was just 4:30!"

A soft mechanical laugh could be faintly heard in the background, and Mikey sobbed. This couldn't be happening again. It just  _couldn't be_.

"Get out of here! Just  _GO!"_   Mikey screamed, turning and bumping into his oldest brother, who freaked out almost immediately.

"Mikey! Are you okay?!" Raph asked, picking Mikey up, and looking at the near sleep-deprived teen worriedly.

"Wait... Raph? What are you...? I... how is it already 12:00? It was  _just 4:30_ not even ten seconds ago!" Mikey asked, frowning at the saddened look he received.

"Mikey, did you have another bad dream?"

"I... I don't know anymore." Mikey admitted, hugging close to Raph.

"Alright. I'll get you settled with Leo. It's his turn to look after ya."

At that, Mikey, for whatever unknown reason, smiled. As if he did, but didn't know what was going on at once.

 

_Wake up, wake up they're here_

_Deeply burned inside my mind_

_Wake up, wake up they're here_

_Please won't someone just save me?_

 

"Oof, you look like you just went batshit crazy, little bro." Leo chuckled, patting Mikey's head soothingly.

The two were sat on the couch, calmly listening to some random commercial Splinter had been watching. Mikey sighed in response, holding Leo's free hand close, and sniffling. Why couldn't he just know what was going on? So much was swimming through his head, and he couldn't comprehend even a third of it. No judgement came from Leo. He simply hugged Mikey closer, and looked to the TV, humming along with the catchy tune of the commercial.

And Mikey did the same.

 

_These dreams are made of things_

_I cannot deny, I cannot flee_

_They're constantly tormenting me_

_Can't close my eyes tonight_

_These dreams are made of things_

_I cannot deny, I cannot flee_

_They're constantly tormenting me_

_Can't close my eyes tonight_

 

He didn't want to, but he found himself standing outside of Donnie's lab. In all honesty, he couldn't really remember how he got there in the first place. The whole day had seemed like a drug trip, and Mikey would be lying if he denied forgetting to check the expiration date on the milk carton. Despite that, however, Mikey took a step forward, waiting for some sort of invention to explode. But, surprisingly, nothing happened.

Which was  _very concerning_.

 

_Wake up, wake up they're here_

_I can't find someone to save me_

_Wake up, wake up they're here_

_Oh, am I dreaming?_

 

"MIKEY! MIKEY, WAKE UP! IT'S OKAY!"

A loud, bloodcurdling scream filled the air after that assurance, and Mikey looked around once more, for the third time. In an attempt of comfort, Leo held Mikey in an almost bone-crushing hug. The younger sobbed, torn between running away to find the source of those _goddamned footsteps_ , or just staying put and allowing himself to be consoled. But, the thing was, that he had no idea what he was being consoled  _for_.

 

_Wake up, wake up they're here_

_Deeply burned inside my mind_

_Wake up, wake up they're here_

_Please won't someone just save me?_

 

Leo looked his brother in the eye, mind racing as he was met with nothing more than the sight of a sleep deprived, confused, scared child. Eyes bloodshot, teeth clenched, and body tense, were all the signs that Leo needed to know what had happened.

When he looked back on it, forcing Mikey to go to the Stock 'nd Shop was a horrible idea. Knowing how Mikey was, should have been enough of a red light to keep Leo from trying to prove himself right. All throughout the situation, Mikey had been scared out of his wits, and Leo had ignored that. But, he had good reason to! Mikey was a strong kid! It isn't like he would flinch once he found out he actually had the stuff to defeat that ghost/robot/whatever the hell else that dumbass kid's creation was made up of!

None of that mattered right now, though. The only thing that should and did matter, is Mikey's ability to finally let go of the fear that had been keeping him awake and dangerous for the past week or so.

Which is what Donnie said normally happens to those who have night terrors as bad as the ones Michelangelo had been having.

 

_Please save me_

 

"It's okay buddy. They were all just dreams. No monster, ghost, or evil being's gonna get you while I'm around."

 

_Please save me_

 

Mikey blinked, looking to Leo in shock. Had Leo just...?

 

_Please save me_

 

"I promise you, we'll find a way to stop them. You just gotta keep fighting."

 

_Please save me_

 

Dear god... he  _did_.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, slight rant here:
> 
> Look, I love how close Mikey and Leo are as brothers, but for Leo to do something as dickish as forcing his baby brother to go and do something like what happened in "The Gumbus"?! You're joking, right?! Leo is so much better than that, and it frustrates me to a POINT that the writers let him do this kind of tomfuckery!
> 
> Leo is a good brother! And- whether or not he'd ever want to admit it -if he would have known about how terrifying this experience would be for Mikey, I HIGHLY DOUBT this would have happened! I mean, come on! At the beginning, sure, we could see how upset Mikey was about the situation, and I'm sure that it was obvious to Leo and April as well. Though, imagine that you're the one in this scenario.
> 
> Your older sibling/best friend sees something that scares you, and forces you to confront it without any disregard for your feelings towards the matter. Once you face the fear, it tries to kill you, and, even though the origin turns out to be less than what it seems, the aforementioned older sibling/best friend taunts you about being scared.
> 
> LEO WAS JUST AS FUCKING SCARED AS MIKEY WAS! HOW DOES THIS BABOON NOT EXPECT MIKEY TO BE MESSED UP BY THIS?! LIKE, WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCKING FUCK IN ALL OF FUCKERVILLE?!
> 
> ...Okay. That's done. I'm sorry. This episode just pissed me off, as you can tell. Once again, though, Leo is a good brother, but I would like to see the after effects of the scenario, rather than skipping by a few days/weeks/whatever without us knowing what happened between that time frame.
> 
> With that done, I bid you adieu. Don't @ me fam.


	50. Not Fair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donnie teaches Mikey a very important lesson.

"Guys! I'm not a baby! I can fight these guys just as well as you can!" Mikey whined, huffing as he was, once again, pushed back by his brothers. Now, on any other given day, this wouldn't be a problem. At this moment, however? It was probably the most embarrassing moment in Mikey's life. For the first time in four years, Mikey was being denied the ability to take down a villain, and only because he was hit in the arm with acid spit  _ONCE!_ Sure, it hurt like hell, and it left him immobilized for a good two hours, but that didn't mean that Mikey was incapable of fighting the tiny creatures his brothers were!

"Michael, if you continue to complain about not being able to fight, I can assure you that you will not get any dessert tonight!" Donnie shouted, knocking away one of the creatures. This led the orange clad turtle to huff, sitting down on a nearby bench, and grumbling to himself, nearly missing the creature that raced up to him. Thankfully, Leo had beat the creature to Mikey, knocking it away, and fending off a few more.

"You okay bud?" Leo asked. Mikey nodded, watching Leo bound off, and frowning as he was forced to watch his brothers do all of the fighting. The battle lasted for another fifteen minutes, before Raph, Donnie, and Leo all had a creature of their own in their arms. "Heh, talk about rough. I'm  _really_ gonna feel this in the morning."

Raph and Donnie nodded in agreement, turning their attention to Mikey, who was sitting with a large pout. Raph and Leo snickered, using their weapons to kill off the small creatures in their arms. Meanwhile, Donnie had sat next to the youngest of the brothers, holding his own creature's mouth, and allowing Mikey to snap its neck. A barrage of compliments for the clean snap were sent in Mikey's way, before the brothers returned home, too tired to actually talk about how awesome their feat was.

"I'm going to my room." Mikey sighed, beginning to leave, and grunting as his arm was grabbed. Turning around, Mikey made no sound of confusion as Donnie made a motion to go to the lab. Doing as told, Mikey did his best to ignore the sounds of his brothers agreeing to a small lecture, sitting on Donnie's desk, and swinging his legs lazily. "So, what's this lecture gonna be about?"

"Nothing too spectacular." Donnie replied, sitting next to Mikey. "I just want to ask you something."

"I was bound to hear it eventually, so lay it on me." Mikey sighed, trying and failing to hold back a smile as he was pulled into a hug.

"Now, you are perfectly aware of the fact that we love you, aren't you?" Donnie inquired.

"Of course I am! And I love you guys so much! With all of my heart!" Mikey replied, a look of shock on his face. Donnie chuckled at the response, rubbing Mikey's arm lightly.

"Then why is it that you get so upset when we try to protect you?"

"Because I'm not a baby anymore! It's what I've been telling you forever! If I don't do stuff and get hurt, how am I gonna know what and what not to do?"

"You got hit by acid that nearly killed you, and you  _still_ wanted to fight those bugs."

Mikey silenced, blushing lightly before punching Donnie's arm gently. This earned Mikey a sweet kiss to the cheek, and a few words of affection.

"I understand that you may not fully get why I am telling you this, but someday you will." Donnie assured, urging Mikey off gently. Once the small turtle was gone, Donnie sighed, twiddling his thumbs as he contemplated. "I just hope that it's soon..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is short, mainly because my creative juices have been spurting on and off. This was an in-the-middle moment.
> 
> But at least I haven't given up on this fic! :D


	51. The Consequences of a Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo accidentally forgets to give Mikey his medicine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I have a personal headcanon that Mikey needs medicine to get through each day, mainly because of my belief that he has ADHD. This is not meant to offend anyone with ADHD, or people with friends who have it. I, myself, have close friends who suffer from ADHD, and have a general idea as to how it is to live with it. If this does happen to offend someone, however, I will delete this chapter accordingly.

"GODDAMN IT LEO!"

With wide eyes, Raph looked to Leo, putting on a worried expression as Leo shrugged. Very seldom did Donnie scream at his brothers like this, and it was always a bit terrifying when he did. During the rare moments that Donnie  _did_ scream, it was for very good and serious reason, typically involving his inventions, or a plan that had been messed up due to his brothers' constant joking around. When they thought about it, though, neither of these things had been tampered with, so Raph and Leo could only wait to see what had happened. When they did find out, however, it was Raph who had taken on the role of being pissed off.

"How could you have forgotten?!" Raph screamed, shaking Leo back and forth furiously. Leo only babbled senselessly, forcing Raph to drop him, and wait impatiently for an answer.

"It was an honest mistake! Any of us could have made it!" Leo huffed, crossing his arms. "I don't see what the big deal is!"

"Leo, if Mikey misses even  _one dose_ of his medicine, it could spell disaster." Donnie replied, trying to stay as calm as possible. "Thankfully, _this time_ , it didn't do too much, and I was able to calm him down. At the risk of losing my tablet."

Leo groaned, rubbing the back of his neck and pursing his lips. So, maybe he should have given in to that feeling in his gut as soon as it had come on, and  _maybe_ he should have been reminded when Mikey woke up and started bouncing off the walls in no time at all. Of course, though, he didn't, and now the brothers would have to deal with their poor baby brother, whose fault wasn't his own that he couldn't sit still unless he was engaged in something worthwhile.

"So, what is he doing on your tablet?" Raph asked, face straight as he watched the aforementioned baby brother of theirs walk up to them. "Hey bud! What's up?"

Mikey said nothing, leaning against Raph, and grunting as he was lifted up. At the moment, Mikey's attention was on doing nothing more than watching an instructional video about how to care for cats, making no faces or reactions whenever something out of the ordinary happened. Which was a bit odd. Typically, on days when Mikey received his medicine, he reacted to almost anything funny or exciting like any typical teenager. When he hadn't received his medicine, however, it seemed as if his brain completely shut off when he was staring at a screen.

The same couldn't be said for drawing, funnily enough. Every sort of reaction possible was made when Mikey was drawing. Whenever Mikey made a mistake, he whined and threw his materials around until he calmed down. Whenever everything worked out, he wasted no time in showing his brothers, shoving the picture or painting in their faces, and excitedly babbling about what it was. Each time, Mikey was met with positive comments, and he would then find something else to do, always talking about something as he did so.

"I want a cat." Mikey suddenly stated, not taking his eyes off the screen in front of him.

"Sorry bud, but I don't think pops would like it if we got a cat." Raph hummed, allowing Mikey to shift a bit.

"It's not like the cat could eat him..." Mikey muttered, whining as Donnie took the tablet away. "Dooooooonnnniiiiieeee!"

"Sorry Michael, but you've been on this thing for almost an hour and a half." Donnie sighed, storing the tablet away in his battle shell.

"What? That's nothing!" Leo commented, slamming his mouth shut as he got sharp glares in return.

"Yeah! That's nothing, Dee!" Mikey shouted, reaching out to his genius brother. In no time at all, Mikey was placed in Donnie's arms, pouting and whining. "Come on! 5 more minutes?"

"No."

"3 more minutes?"

"No."

"One more minutes!"

"No, Mikey! And I'm being serious! You know very well not to test me." Donnie warned, saying nothing as he was headbutted lightly. A low whimper came from Mikey, and he grabbed Donnie's mask tails, using them to turn the purple bandana around.

"You're heccin' blind now." Mikey huffed.

"That I am." Donnie confirmed. "Now unblind me so I can make you pay for it."

"No!" Mikey shouted, squealing as Raph fixed Donnie's bandana. From there, Mikey was assaulted with raspberries to the neck, and laughs from each of his brothers. Mikey then made a strange sound, moving around dramatically before playing dead.

"Nice going, you killed him." Leo chuckled. "Maybe we should eat him."

"NAO!" Mikey hissed, jumping out of Donnie's grip, and running off to hide somewhere. Soft chuckles followed the action, before the previous anger from earlier returned. Leo gulped, preparing the longest excuse he'd ever come up with, and stumbling over his words repeatedly.

It could then be said that, after this little incident, Leo never forgot to give Mikey any of his meds again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was another short one, but I feel pretty proud of it. Hopefully, I was able to capture the ADHD without slipping into the stereotypes and stigmas about it. Once again, I am basing it off my close friends, and will delete the chapter if needed.

**Author's Note:**

> Short and sweet and weird are these...
> 
> Short and sweet and weird.


End file.
